Kansas Sen. Moran rescued from Arizona mountain after hiking injury

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) delivers remarks at the public launch of the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba while at the National Press Club in Washington, January 8, 2015. REUTERS/Larry Downing (REUTERS)

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., took a fall on Thursday morning while out on a hike in Arizona, sending him to the hospital with an ankle injury after being rescued by firefighters, according to a local news outlet.

Moran, Kansas’ junior senator, was hiking on Camelback Mountain in Phoenix when he took a tumble on Thursday and injured his ankle, AZfamily reported. Photos posted online showed the 65-year-old lawmaker being rescued by about a dozen firefighters from Phoenix who used a wheeled litter to move Moran off the mountain.

Moran was taken to a local hospital for further treatment, but his staff told local media that he was in good spirits and expects to return to Kansas on Friday to survey the damage caused by recent tornados.

"Sen. Moran injured his ankle during a morning workout. He is in good spirits and extends his thanks to the Phoenix Fire Department for assisting him this morning," a spokesperson for Moran said in a statement sent to Fox News. "Sen. Moran looks forward to resuming his work for Kansans tomorrow.”

The Republican lawmaker was in Arizona to meet with DEA agents about border security, but had to cancel his meetings due to his injury, the report said.