The boy was hiking in the woods in Sam Houston National Forest when he started showing signs of heat exhaustion.
The group he was with called for help, and when Waverly firefighters arrived, his condition worsened from heat exhaustion, to a heat stroke. Firefighters had him airlifted to the hospital.
"The firefighters went in and carried him 300-400 yards in the woods. And they went in with a long board. They made the decision not to wait for additional resources. Many times we'll wait for some type of motorized vehicle," said Jimmy Williams with the Waverly Fire Department. "But they made the decision that this patient was in serious enough condition that he needed to be rapidly extricated."
The early signs of heat exhaustion include profuse sweating, being disoriented, fatigue, nausea, rapid heart rate and rapid breathing. It can progress into a heat stroke when your body stops sweating and you become extremely dehydrated.
