Family members, friends and colleagues came together in prayer and hope at a vigil in Arcadia on Sunday night for a firefighter who has been missing in the Los Padres National Forest for nine days.
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The sisters of Mike Herdman showed up at the vigil at the Arcadia Fire Department Station 106, one of the stations where Herdman worked, and thanked searchers for their efforts.
"Everyday we believe is going to bring us one day closer to finding Mike," said firefighter Drew Pryor of the Arcadia Fire Department.
Search and rescue teams have combed through 50 square miles of the forest near Fillmore looking for Herdman, who went missing during a camping trip.
"I've been told that it's the worst conditions that they've seen in Southern California - and that's from professional search teams," Pryor said.
Taylor Bryars, a friend and fellow firefighter who was camping with Herdman when he became lost, was also at the vigil.
Those who attended the vigil wore green ribbons because Herdman was wearing green shorts when he disappeared, and also because he loved the outdoors.
Herdman went missing after chasing his dog, Duke, who ran away from the campsite.
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Herdman, an experienced outdoorsman, was barefoot and wearing just a t-shirt and shorts. He was reported missing Sunday night when Bryars emerged from the forest and contacted authorities.
"After discussing all the issues, every clue we’ve found with Mike’s family, and search and rescue professionals, we’ve reached a point where we have to make a decision," said Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said earlier in the day.
An aerial search will resume Monday, sheriff's officials said.
Rescuers found Duke on Sunday, but decided to scale back the search for Herdman.
Eighty-six search and rescue volunteers were were looking for Herdman on Saturday - the largest group so far. Two manned flight crews and two drones were used to search the rugged terrain.
