Sable Altura Fire Chief Rich Solomon spoke at a press conference and said that this was one of the most difficult rescues he and his crew have worked on and underscored the dangers of these operations.
An 18-year-old was rescued after falling 30 feet while exploring an abandoned missile silo in Arapahoe County, Colorado, Sunday, authorities said.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office posted the news on X, formerly Twitter, Sunday saying they were called at 3:30 that morning after a group of teens went to the abandoned silo in the middle of the night with one of the pack falling 30 feet.
Along with photos of the incident, authorities said, “The group of teenagers had gained access by crawling through a broken gate at the entrance of the silo.”
Cops said five juveniles were above ground and they advised rescuers that three more were still inside the silo, a juvenile male, an 18-year-old male and the injured victim.
“Around 6:00 a.m., the two uninjured persons who were staying with the victim were rescued from inside the silo. Around 6:30 a.m. rescue crews were able to reach the injured victim. He was removed from the silo at 8:30 a.m. and airlifted by an Airlife Denver to a local hospital with serious injuries,” the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said.
The 18-year-old male who was inside the silo received a summons for 3rd degree criminal trespass. The other juveniles were released to their parents, pending possible charges for trespassing. The injured victim is also facing a possible trespassing charge.
Sable Altura Fire Chief Rich Solomon spoke at a press conference and said that this was one of the most difficult rescues he and his crew have worked on and underscored the dangers of these operations.
“It is twisted metal, it is collapsed bores, it is concrete pieces everywhere. It's a confined space. There's stagnant water. It's just a mix of collapse and confined space and vertical triangle,” he said.
The silo was one of six former Titan I missile complexes in Colorado, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, WPTV reported.
The Titan I was a 98-foot-long, two-stage missile and was designed to carry nuclear warheads. The Colorado Titan missile sites were decommissioned and the missiles removed in 1965. They have been sitting abandoned for more than 50 years, WPTV said.
