Arizona team rescues California hikers stuck on butte

OAK CREEK, Ariz. (AP) - Authorities in north-central Arizona conducted a nighttime rescue of two Los Angeles hikers who got stuck on a butte.

The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said 46-year-old Darren Steinberg and 40-year-old Jennifer Quinterro hiked up Bell Rock in the Village of Oak Creek and remained on the butte to see the sunset Sunday.

Sheriff's spokesman Dwight D'Evelyn said darkness fell faster than they anticipated and they got stuck on a small outcropping while trying to hike down.

The hikers used a cellphone to call for help, and a search-and-rescue unit responded. Volunteers set rope lines which they used to rappel the couple to safety.

D'Evelyn said lessons to take from the incident include planning hikes carefully, finishing them well before sunset and putting cellphones on "airplane" mode to save power.