Man rescued from freezing sinkhole in Leadville
Durango, Colorado Currently Mon
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DENVER – A man is recovering after he fell 30 feet into a water- and ice-filled sinkhole in the central Colorado mountain town of Leadville.
The Denver Post reports firefighter Alex Conlin with Leadville/Lake County Fire Rescue rappelled into the hole Saturday to rescue the man, whose name and age have not been released.
Conlin used a ladder that was placed across the top of the hole as a support to lower himself and attach a safety line to the man so he wouldn’t sink into the water. The man was taken to a nearby airport, where a helicopter flew him to a hospital. His condition has not been released.
Firefighter rappels into 30-foot sinkhole to rescue person who fell in
LEADVILLE, Colorado (KCNC) An extensive rescue mission was launched in Leadville late Saturday to get someone out of a 30-foot deep sinkhole. Just after 6 p.m. Leadville/Lake County Fire Rescue responded to a storage facility at the intersection of 2nd Street and Plum Street where the hole had opened up and a person had fallen in.
Firefighter Alex Conlin jumped into action, rappeling down from a ladder that was placed over the top of the hole to the individual. Leadville/Lake County Fire Rescue wrote that “the bottom of this pit had substantial ice and water creating a very cold situation as well as unstable edges and sides of the pit.”
Colorado Man Falls Into 30-Foot Sinkhole in Leadville
A man attempting to access his storage unit at East 2nd Street and Plum Street in Leadville fell into a 30-foot deep sinkhole on April 1. The Leadville/Lake County Fire Rescue team was dispatched to the call at approximately 6 p.m.
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Rescue efforts began by placing a 24-foot ladder over the pit to gain a better view of the situation. Firefighter, Alex Conlin, rappeled down the sinkhole to the victim and outfit him with a safety harness to prevent him from sinking into the water. During this time, it was determined that the victim had sustained injuries in the incident. Lake County Search and Rescue was called in for a high-angle rescue.