COURTESY OF NBCLA

BY Andrew Lopez

Authorities have found the dog belonging to missing firefighter Mike Herdman Sunday, officials said.

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The breakthrough comes seven days after the search in the Los Padres National Forest began.

Officials said there was still no sign of Herdman. During a news conference Sunday, authorities said they would scale back search efforts after combing through a 50-square mile radius without finding Herdman.

Much of the search focused on finding Duke, who had been spotted twice in the past week. Authorities set a caged trap to capture Duke on Friday.

Good Samaritans found Duke around noon in a parking lot Sunday where the missing person’s vehicle had been parked, said Sgt. Kevin Donoghue of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

Herdman, 36, disappeared last Friday during a camping trip in the forest near Fillmore with a friend and fellow firefighter. Duke ran away from the campsite and Herdman chased after him, barefoot and wearing just a t-shirt and shorts.

He was reported missing Sunday night when his friend emerged from the forest and contacted authorities.

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.

Several Southern California sheriff’s departments and a team of special agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are also involved.

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