Santa Barbara County firefighters assisted with a helicopter hoist rescue in Carpinteria on Sunday afternoon after reports of a paraglider crash, according to the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District.

Around 1:45 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, firefighters responded to a paraglider who crashed below Divide Peak in the mountains above Carpinteria, said Fire Marshal Robert Rappaport. A man in his 60s had launched his paraglider and crashed due to unknown circumstances, he added.

Carpinteria-Summerland firefighters used cell phone GPS coordinates to determine a more exact location and paramedics attempted to access the incident from below the site, Rappaport said, adding that they were unable to reach the paraglider due to the mountain’s steep terrain.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department of Search and Rescue teams tried to gain access from the topside of the mountain but were also unable to make access by foot, according to Rappaport.

A Santa Barbara County Fire helicopter was then dispatched from Santa Ynez to perform a hoist operation from the side of the mountain, Rappaport said.

The paraglider was then transported by helicopter to Viola Fields Park in Carpinteria where he was further assessed by paramedics. The paraglider reported minor injuries, according to Rappaport.

Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesman Mike Eliason said the man had a “hard landing” and declined an ambulance after the hoist, saying he would seek further medical treatment on his own.

— Noozhawk staff writer Jade Martinez-Pogue can be reached at jmartinez-pogue@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.