Tragedy as boy collapses and dies after family hike in triple-figure temperatures
A young boy has died after going hiking with his family in Arizona.
Tragically, Cortinez Logan, nine, collapsed while walking through the South Mountain Park and Preserve near Phoenix, on Tuesday (July 2).
On the day, temperatures reportedly rose to a sweltering 113F.
Officials reported that the Logan family began hiking up the mountain at around 9.30am, and five to six hours later, between 2pm and 3pm, spoke to the emergency services.
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Once they arrived, the first responders attempted to revive the boy through CPR on the trail but were unable to, according to reports.
Cortinez was then airlifted off the mountain to a nearby hospital where he died 'as a result of a heat-related medical event'.
According to officials, Cortinez began falling 'in and out of consciousness' in the early afternoon.
He had only recently moved to the city with his family, having lived in Missouri previously.
Phoenix Fire Captain Todd Keller urged hikers to hydrate properly and that they should always carry a mobile phone.
He said: "If you have someone who hasn't been properly hydrating, not drinking enough water, that heat can affect them within minutes.
"When you're halfway done with your water, you're halfway done with your hike.
"If you start to feel any kind of dizziness or any lightheadedness, please stop, turn around, come back another day. Just because you don't make it to the summit of the mountain, doesn't mean it wasn't a successful hike."
Capt Keller continued: "Our firefighters are the best-trained rescuers in the world. They know it's coming but the heat does affect them.
"That's why we always say that if you're going to go up the mountain, you're putting yourself in danger and you're putting our rescuers in danger."
Despite the heat, the Logan family embarked on the trek as the trails on the South Mountain remained open throughout Tuesday.
Standard protocol usually sees the Phoenix trails close on days when there are heat warnings, however the National Weather Service did not issue an extreme heat warning that day.
Officials at the weather service reported that the morning heat in Sky Harbor broke records with the sun scorching down 92F on the area - the previous record was 90F, and it was 9F higher than the normal low.
The NWS has issued an excessive heat warning for the upcoming holiday weekend.
Police are investigating Cortinez's death.
UNILAD has contacted Phoenix Police Department for comment.
Joe Yates