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
Fresno firefighters rescued an 89-year-old woman in critical condition and treated a police officer for smoke inhalation after a blaze in the 500 block of North Fulton Street
A $2.2M renovation project has modernized two longtime Cañon City fire stations, adding updated bunk areas, HVAC systems and advanced alerting technology
Brittany Hathaway, a firefighter/EMT with Cliff Gila Fire Department, Gila Regional EMS and Central Dispatch, collapsed while responding to a medical call
Two battalion chiefs killed and two others credited with preventing more responders from entering the Coeur d’Alene ambush were among those nominated