Trending Topics

San Francisco firefighters rescue man trapped in sewer pipe

Firefighters reportedly had to wait for an OSHA permit before entering the pipe

By Don Sweeney
The Charlotte Observer

SAN FRANCISCO — A report of screams from a manhole in San Francisco led firefighters to rescue a man trapped in a sewer pipe below the street, California rescuers reported.

The rescue took place at about 4:40 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 18, on the Great Highway along the western edge of the city, San Francisco firefighters said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

A man somehow entered the pipe and crawled inside about 20 feet below the street before encountering a drop and falling on his head, Lt. Mariano Elias told KRON.

A passerby heard his screams from a manhole and notified authorities at 3:41 a.m., Elias told the station.

Dozens of firefighters used a fan, ropes and rescue baskets to pull the man to safety at about 5:15 a.m., KTVU reported. He was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

The Great Highway is a park promenade running along the western edge of San Francisco overlooking the Pacific Ocean, San Francisco Recreation & Parks said.

©2024 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Trending
Gavin Newsom cited concerns that the move would not be financially sound; AB 1383 would have lowered retirement ages by 2 years and raised maximum accrual rates by 0.3%
Two Precision crewmembers were killed when their helicopter crashed during a bucket drop while assigned to the Dome Fire in Yosemite National Park
Three members of a Charlotte family, including a 6-year-old girl, were killed when their SUV struck a Providence Fire Department fire engine at an earlier crash scene
A four-alarm Brooklyn fire spread through the cockloft of three restaurants, triggering a smoke explosion, mayday and a partial roof collapse