Missing Colrain hiker located

COLRAIN, Mass. (WWLP) - Around 24 hours after he was last seen, a hiker who disappeared in the woods of Franklin County has been safely located.

Town police, as well as firefighters spent the late morning and early afternoon searching the area around East Catamount Hill Road for the hiker. State police used a helicopter with thermal imaging to assist in the search, and environmental police were also involved.

According to Environmental Police, the hiker was found on Thursday afternoon, suffering from a broken ankle.

Colrain Fire Chief Kevin Wordon told 22News this is not an uncommon occurrence. "Couple years ago we had the same situation where we had a lost hiker in the same area the helicopter came. They have the thermo capability to see the body heat from within the forest that picked up the signature if the individual to where we picked up the individual," Wordon said.

During the search, authorities had released the man's picture, but did not release his name. They were hoping that if anyone in the area had seen the hiker, they would be able to recognize him.