FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — A Fresno man who was missing for six days after a fishing trip was rescued from a remote wilderness area on Independence Day, authorities said.<\/p>\n
Rondy Packard Sr., 70, was reported missing after he failed to return from a fishing trip on the morning of June 28. A resident reported seeing him that afternoon driving his Nissan pickup truck eastbound on Trimmer Springs Road near Pine Flat Lake. According to search and rescue teams, his cell phone also pinged in the area.<\/p>\n
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said Packard’s family initially searched the area before authorities expanded the effort into an official search operation.<\/p>\n
“Really, really, really happy news. We’ve been searching for Rondy Packard for a couple of days now,” Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Lt. Kathy Curtis said.<\/p>\n
The sheriff’s office deployed members of its Search and Rescue Team to conduct an extensive ground and aerial search in the remote area surrounding Pine Flat Lake.<\/p>\n
“You can just imagine the stress that this family has been under for almost a week now,” Curtis said. “And of course, we’re concerned, because the weather is heating up and we don’t know what his situation was as far as food or water.”<\/p>\n
At about 1 p.m. Saturday, a volunteer Air Squadron member spotted Packard’s truck in an extremely remote area about 20 miles northeast of the lake, according to the sheriff’s office.<\/p>\n
Search teams reached the location about 90 minutes later and found Packard near the truck.<\/p>\n
Because of the rugged terrain, a California Highway Patrol helicopter hoisted Packard from the scene and transported him out of the area for medical treatment.<\/p>\n
“His family is incredibly ecstatic. They’re with him right now, he’s at the hospital receiving treatment, and they’re all together. Everybody’s very, very, very happy,” Curtis said.<\/p>\n
Officials said Packard did not suffer any major injuries and is expected to make a full recovery.<\/p>\n
Authorities are continuing to work to learn more about how and why he remained missing in the wilderness for so long.<\/p>\n
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