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6 months ago
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Colorado police and first responders rescued several teens from an abandoned underground missile silo, after they plummeted 30 feet and miraculously survived.
The teens crawled into the underground silo in the middle of the night after they gained access through a broken gate. The underground missile located at 82000 East County Road 22, near the town of Deer Trail, had been abandoned since the 1960s.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office and five other agencies were alerted to the emergency around 3.30am Sunday, and were there within 10 minutes, fire officials said. By 8.30am the rescue mission was complete, Fox News reported.
Fire Chief Rich Solomon, and his team searched 'the maze of tunnels and caverns,' trying to locate the trapped teens for hours.
He described the inside, as 'twisted metal....collapsed floors.. concrete pieces everywhere.' He also said, it was a 'confined space,' and there was 'stagnant water.'
By 6am the teens - a juvenile and two 18-year-olds- were found by rescue teams. And a half hour later they made contact with one teen, who was critically injured from the catastrophic fall. He was later airlifted to hospital.
The teens crawled into the underground silo in the middle of the night after they gained access through a broken gate. The missile is located at 82000 East County Road 22, near the town of Deer Trail, had been abandoned since the 1960s
Fire Chief Rich Solomon, and his team searched underground missile (pictured) for hours. He described it as a 'maze of tunnels and caverns. He said, 'It is twisted metal. It is collapsed floors. It is concrete pieces everywhere. It is a confined space. It is stagnant water'
Five other juveniles, boys and girls, were also found near the abandoned missile facility when rescuers arrived they were released to their parents, KDVR News reported.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office said they are all facing possible trespassing charges.
The 18-year-old uninjured teen inside the silo was handed a summons for third degree criminal trespass. The teen that was hospitalized may also be facing trespassing charges.
Firefighters from Sable Altura Fire Rescue, Deer Trail Fire Rescue, Agate Fire Rescue and Bennett-Watkins Fire Rescue assisted in the rescue.
AirLife Denver airlifted the critically injured teen who fell 30-feet inside the abandoned missile
During the harrowing ordeal, the teens trapped underground stayed with their friend who was critically injured from the fall.
When rescuers finally made contact, they stayed there for nearly thirty minutes until they were able to connect with the other team members.
'Once we found the patient we relayed what we could, when we couldn't and we didn't have any communication for at least an hour or more.
The fire chief explained that 'generally you have a one type of rescue - a confined space rescue or a high angle rescue - but this was all of them,' Fox News reported.
Rescuers used a skid to lift the injured boy out, but it took precision, and teamwork.
The radios and cell phones were not working underground, and had to rely on other means, making the rescue mission even more challenging.
Rescues teams are seen at the top of the cliff at Deer Trail
Crews were dispatched ready to enter the abandoned silo that was underground
A rescuer from Agate Fire and Rescue expressed gratitude to the team and was grateful there were no fatalities.
'These small departments come together and get it done,' he said.
'It was just one of the most amazing rescues with this amazing team of agencies that came together.
He added: 'I can't even explain how it feels to be a part of it.'
English (US)