Cries for help lead rescuers to woman trapped in storm drain, California video shows

Cries for help from a downtown storm drain alerted passersby to a woman trapped below ground, California firefighters reported.

A video posted by the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District shows the woman’s rescue at about 10:20 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18.

Firefighters summoned by onlookers found the woman stuck about 15 feet inside a narrow concrete storm drain, officials said.

“With no room to turn around, the patient was then coached to inch herself backwards about 20 feet,” firefighters said.

Firefighters opened another access point to the storm drain system and helped the woman out of the drain, officials said.

“Hey, we got you,” a firefighter tells the woman, who had lost her shirt, in the video. “You’re good. We’re going to help you get up this ladder.”

Firefighters pulled her up and wrapped a blanket around her before taking her to a hospital to be checked, the video shows. Firefighters don’t know how long she had been trapped.

The rescue operation took about 25 minutes, firefighters said.

San Bernardino is about a 60-mile drive east from Los Angeles.

This story was originally published February 20, 2025 at 12:01 PM with the headline "Cries for help lead rescuers to woman trapped in storm drain, California video shows."