GILPIN COUNTY, Colo. — A rescue group is reminding Coloradans to stay at home after a recent rescue tied up sheriff’s office resources.

On Sunday, the nonprofit rescue group Colorado 4x4 Rescue and Recovery (CO 4x4 RNR) received a call from the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office requesting their assistance for a vehicle stuck in the snow. CO 4x4 RNR specializes in retrieving vehicle from 4x4 trails.

The sheriff’s office said it needed help recovering a Chevy Avalanche with two people and a dog inside. They had been stuck in the vehicle overnight on Pisgah Road, according to CO 4x4 RNR.

Authorities learned that the party had become stuck on Saturday afternoon and contacted a friend to come help them. That friend then also got stuck.

Both vehicles were stuck overnight, according to CO 4x4 RNR.

The following morning, the friend sent a text to a family member asking them to call the sheriff’s department for help.

A sheriff's office deputy responded, but also got stuck trying to get to the two vehicles, according to CO 4x4 RNR.

CO 4x4 RNR said this was stretching the sheriff’s office’s resources thin. That was the point when the rescue group was called in for help.

When the CO 4x4 RNR arrived on scene, they found a good Samaritan who was trying to help, but was unsuccessful, so the rescue group stepped in and was able to help everybody involved.

CO 4x4 RNR said this type of incident is exactly why state officials have been urging residents to stay at home and not visit the backcountry. The initial group put themselves at risk of exposure by spending the night in the mountains, burned critical resources from the sheriff’s department and put CO 4x4 RNR members at risk of possible infection, CO 4x4 RNR said.