Officials in a California county are urging residents to exercise extra caution after seven people have beenbitten by rattlesnakes in the area this year.

According to aVentura County Fire Department Facebook post,the latest rattlesnake incident occurred Thursday, April 30, on the Long Canyon Trail in Simi Valley, California, about 34 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

In astatement sent to KABC-TV, VCFD's Andrew Dowd said a woman reported a rattlesnake bite on her ankle and was subsequently airlifted to an area hospital in stable condition.

The fire department said this is the seventh rattlesnake bite in Ventura County this year, with all of them happening since mid-March.

The rattlesnake bite on the Long Canyon Trail is just the latest incident in California this year. As of May 4, there have already beenthree rattlesnake fatalities in the state.Normally, California averages zero or one fatal rattlesnake bite per year, meaning deaths are very rare despite roughly 500 to 800 incidents, according toBackpacker Magazineand theSan Luis Obispo Tribune.

In April, a 78-year-old woman diedafter being bitten several times by a venomous snake in Northern California. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to USA TODAY that the woman was walking in a rural area when she was bitten three times by the snake on April 8.

She was then transported to the hospital by family members and treated, according to the sheriff's office. But her health deteriorated, and she was pronounced dead at the hospital on April 10.

According to theVentura County Star, part of the USA TODAY Network,the second rattlesnake fatality in 2026 was a 46-year-old woman who died from a bite on March 19. The Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office said the woman's cause of death was determined to be rattlesnake venom toxicity.

The first rattlesnake fatality this year happened when a 25-year-old man died weeks after he was bitten by a rattlesnake while mountain biking with his father in Irvine, California, in February, according to aGoFundMe pageand local television stationKABC-TV.

If bitten by a rattlesnake, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and California Poison Control Systemrecommend:

Source: Drudge Report