Man rescued after 25-foot fall near Cape Horn

Emergency crews rescued a man they believed was rock climbing just west of Cape Horn on Thursday night when he fell about 25 feet.

Firefighters and medical personnel were called to a rock-climbing area known as the Ozone Wall just before 7:30 p.m. for a report of a 31-year-old man who had fallen, Skamania County EMS Chief Patrick Nicholson said.

Emergency crews from Skamania County Fire District 4 and 5 and the Clark County Technical rescue team, which included members from Clark County Fire District 6 and Vancouver Fire Department, all responded to the scene to help.

Crews worked for about three hours to rescue the man.

One group of rescuers used a trail to access the victim, who had suffered lower extremity and back injuries, Nicholson said. Crews stabilized him and packaged him into a stokes basket, Nicholson said.

Another set of rescuers stayed above and used a rope system to vertically lift the man up the rock face and to the roadway, Nicholson said.

The man was taken to an area hospital with injuries described as serious, Nicholson said. His name was not released.