Overview
- The Ventura County Fire Department said a woman bitten on Long Canyon Trail in Simi Valley was airlifted in stable condition Thursday.
- The case is the seventh reported rattlesnake bite in the county since mid-March, compared with nine for all of 2025.
- California has recorded three snakebite deaths this spring, including March’s Thousand Oaks case and earlier fatalities in Irvine and Mendocino County.
- Fire officials and the U.S. Forest Service link the surge to an early heat wave that brought snakes out sooner and kept them active on popular trails.
- Authorities urge hikers to stay on marked paths, wear boots or long pants, look before stepping over rocks or logs, and call 911 instead of using tourniquets or suction.