Trending Topics

Calif. firefighters rescue driver trapped in car on edge of cliff

CAL FIRE firefighters had to stabilize a car teetering over a 200-foot cliff at Devil’s Slide before pulling the trapped driver to safety through the back window

FR1 Affiliate images - 2025-06-30T124030.425.jpg

A tree stopped a car carrying one person from going over the edge at Devil’s Slide.

CAL FIRE San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit/Facebook

By Don Sweeney
The Olympian

SAN MATEO COUNTY, Calif. — A car wound up hanging by a tree over the ocean on a cliff south of San Francisco, California firefighters reported.

Hours later, a woman died in a fall from the cliff in a separate incident, sheriff’s officials told news outlets.

| READ MORE: Disconnected: Lost peer support in the firehouse

Rescuers responding to a vehicle crash at Devil’s Slide on Highway 1 in San Mateo County discovered a car dangling off the cliff at about 2:45 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26 , the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in a news release.

Photos with the release show the car propped up by a tree on the edge of the cliff over the Pacific Ocean.

Rescuers used ropes to stabilize the vehicle as it hung over the 200-foot cliff on a tree, then rescued the trapped driver through the back window, firefighters said.

A few hours later, a woman died in a fall from the cliff, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office told KRON.

The woman died of her injuries at the scene in the 7:50 p.m. incident, the East Bay Times reported.

The county coroner’s office later identified her as Inna Kurtzeliieva, 37, of San Francisco, KPIX reported. Her death remains under investigation.

Devil’s Slide is about a 20-mile drive southwest from San Francisco.

Trending
A Fountain Inn couple’s nightly Halloween display keeps prompting 911 calls and fire department responses despite posted warnings.
Kennet Engine 24’s officer found a nonverbal teen with autism in a second-floor bedroom while firefighters advanced a hoseline
A new after-action review says agencies were overwhelmed, the EOC was largely ineffective, alert tools went underused and outdated policies delayed orders, echoing Woolsey-era warnings as west Altadena burned during the Eaton fire.
A Saline City Council vote launches planning, legal review and public outreach to form a multi-jurisdiction fire authority targeting faster response, clearer governance and fairer cost sharing

© 2025 The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.).
Visit www.theolympian.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.