RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. (AP) — Helicopter crews took advantage of clear skies Wednesday in the hunt for two hikers lost for days in Southern California's Cleveland National Forest, as searchers focused on an area where a glimmer of light was spotted the night before.
So far, nothing has been found in the area where mountain bikers glimpsed what they believed to be a light in heavy brush Tuesday night off of a trail, Orange County Sheriff's Lt. Jason Park.
"They were unable to describe it exactly. They didn't think it was a fire," Park said.
A Los Angeles County sheriff's helicopter joined two smaller choppers from Orange and Riverside counties in the search that fanned out in a 2-mile radius from where a car belonging to one of the hikers was parked. The larger helicopter is capable of landing crews in remote locations, Park said.
Nineteen-year-old Nicholas Cendoya and 18-year-old Kyndall Jack were last heard from Sunday night when they called for help on a cellphone. The phone's battery later died.
The two are believed to have gone off trail near Holy Jim Trail, a tree-lined dirt path along a creek that leads to a waterfall and is popular with day hikers.
It was unclear whether the lost hikers carried water.