CORRECTION: The hiker who died Saturday was in the Icehouse Saddle area, which is a few miles away from Mount Baldy. The hiker who died Tuesday was from Garden Grove. The location of Icehouse Saddle, and the hometown of the Garden Grove hiker, were incorrect in previous versions of this story.

For the second time in less than a week, a hiker has died after falling from an icy trail in the Mount Baldy area.

Many of the nearby San Gabriel Mountain trails were closed Sunday, Feb. 7, through at least Tuesday, officials said.

Dong Xing Liu, 47, of Temple City died Saturday when he and his wife fell in the Icehouse Saddle area, the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office reported Sunday.

UPDATE: Officials seek order to close trails after deaths

A sheriff’s aviation crew found the couple at 5:34 p.m. but were not able to reach them until 8:12 p.m. Liu was pronounced dead at the scene. Mount Baldy Fire Chief Graham Hendrickson said he was unsure about the circumstances of the fall.

Rescue crews from both San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties had to airlift 12 people, including Liu and his wife, off the mountain Saturday, officials said; they had previously given the number as 10.

“I’ve been in this department 30 years, and I can’t remember a day when we had so many rescues,” Hendrickson said.

He theorized what lured the hikers to such dangerous conditions.

“I think it was a beautiful day that attracted a lot of hikers, and it was super icy in parts of the mountains, and even experienced hikers were having problems with it,” Hendrickson said.

Hendrickson said at least four of the 12 suffered injuries, including a broken hip and rib injuries. Others who weren’t injured were stranded in icy conditions and felt unsafe being there, Hendrickson added.

A news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said Monday that Dong Xing Liu and his wife were discovered at 7,000 feet.

The release said that two good Samaritans who were hiking in the area heard calls for help and found the couple. The two people comforted Liu’s wife, Linda Duan, until help arrived. A text message was sent to the couple’s daughter, who dialed 911.

Sgt. Daniel Futscher couldn’t say how far the two had fallen because they had been hiking away from the trail, so he didn’t know where they fell from.

On Tuesday, Daniel Nguyen, 23, of Garden Grove fell 1,500 feet to his death while he was hiking on the Devil’s Backbone trail that leads to Mount Baldy.

Rescuers told his family that he lost his footing as he reached out his hand to save a friend who had slipped.

Mount Baldy is the commonly used name for Mount San Antonio, which at 10,064 feet is the tallest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains. Icehouse Saddle is about 4.5 miles southeast of Mount San Antonio.

The San Gabriel Mountains were showered with snow Jan. 31, followed by rain, Mount Baldy Fire Capt. Gordon Green said Saturday. That combination caused the icy trail conditions. Green said the ice is “solid as a rock.”

Hendrickson said the trails in that area will be closed at least until Tuesday, when officials will reassess whether they should reopen. The weather is expected to be warm and windy early this week, with temperatures at Mount Baldy in the upper 60s Monday and Tuesday.

Futscher said he was “thrilled” to hear that the trails would be closed off.

“When I’m at home and my guys are up there (rescuing people), I’m worried that something could go wrong,” he said. “I’d rather prevent it at the beginning of the day.”

Futscher said the only people who should have been on the mountain Saturday were professionals. He said some of the hikers who were rescued had the proper equipment but couldn’t say whether Liu and his wife did.

The sergeant also urges people to not only consider what conditions are like in the parking lot when they arrive at the mountain, but also what they will be like higher up.

“It may look nice and beautiful in the parking log but it could be 30 degrees colder where you’re going,” he said.

Futscher also recommended that people understand their limitations, and Henderson echoed that sentiment.

“People need to exercise good judgment,” Hendrickson said. “If there’s situations they are uncomfortable with, it’s time to turn around and call it a day.”

Hikers planning to trek Mount Baldy’s trails can call the U.S. Forest Service’s visitor’s center there in advance at 909-982-2829 to learn about trail conditions.