Teen miraculously rescued after falling 50 feet down abandoned missile silo
For the second time in less than a year, a Colorado teenager had to be rescued after falling into a missile silo.
Police said three people – two teenagers and an adult – were exploring the silo just east of the Aurora Reservoir in Arapahoe County on Wednesday afternoon.
“They were messing around with the top of the silo and there was an accident and the one little boy fell in,” said local fire department spokesman Brian Willie.
The boy, who has not yet been identified, fell approximately 40 to 50 feet into one of the silo’s exhaust vents.
The fall occurred in approximately four feet of water with pieces of metal and other debris underneath.
Local firefighters were called to the area around 3:45 p.m. and found that the teenager had managed to stay afloat despite his injuries.
Officials began building a rope system and sent two firefighters into the exhaust vent.
After assessing the young man’s injuries, they fitted him with a harness and were able to pull him back to the surface.
For the second time in less than a year, a Colorado teenager had to be rescued after falling into a missile silo
Local firefighters were called to the area around 3:45 p.m. and found that the teenager had managed to stay afloat despite his injuries. Officials began building a rope system and sent two firefighters into the exhaust vent
Within about an hour and fifteen minutes, they were able to rescue the teen using ropes and get him out of the silo.
The boy was taken to a local hospital with his injuries, which were reportedly not life-threatening.
However, he and the two other people he explored with face trespassing charges since the silo is on private property.
“These are very dangerous silos where you can get hurt,” Willie said 9 News.
“So we would really ask people to respect private property and stay off this land and that property.”
Sable Altura Fire Rescue added, “A reminder…military history on Colorado’s eastern plains is better left to the history books. Please do not for a moment think that these are safe environments to enter or explore.”
The warnings have hit harder because just seven months ago, authorities dramatically rescued another teenager after he plunged 30 feet while entering an abandoned nuclear missile silo in Arapahoe County.
The 18-year-old boy was seriously injured after falling down an ‘elevator-like shaft’ and ending up near the pitch-black bunker.
Within about an hour and 15 minutes, they were able to rescue the teen using ropes and get him out of the silo
The boy was taken to a local hospital with his injuries, which were reportedly not life-threatening
The teen was with seven other friends at 3:30 a.m. on May 5 when their adventure went horribly wrong.
Rescuers were dispatched to the scene near the town of Deer Trail and managed to use the teens’ screams to locate them after a two-hour search. It took another three hours before they could get the injured boy out.
There are six former Titan missile complexes in the state of Colorado, all of which were decommissioned by the US government in 1965.
The missiles have all been removed, the remains of the silos are still visible.