A teenager in Colorado almost fell to his death while exploring a missile silo on New Year’s Day.
The teen fell about 40 to 50 feet down the vertical underground structure south of E. Quincy Avenue into what rescue workers determined was an exhaust vent tunnel for a decommissioned Titan Missile Facility, according to a statement from Sable Altura Fire Rescue.
After arriving at the scene, Sable Altura Fire built a rope system to lower two staff members to the teen.
Once the rescuers assessed the teen’s injuries and attached a harness to him, Bennett-Watkins Fire Rescue and South Metro Fire brought him to the surface.
In a press release shared with PEOPLE, South Metro Fire Rescue said officials received the call about the incident at around 3:45 p.m. They were able to extricate the teen shortly after 5 p.m. He was then transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.
The press release states that he was at the scene with another juvenile and one adult. The other two people remained above ground and were the reporting parties of the accident.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE that it is investigating this case and determining whether the group will face any trespassing charges.
“We are a proud I-70 Corridor partner to Bennett-Watkins, and we would like to acknowledge the fantastic command structure and scene management for this call,” said Sable Altura Fire Rescue in its statement.
“The dedicated emergency response of the three agencies that operated this rescue under this command, and the interoperability allowed this rescue to be completed VERY rapidly,” the statement continued.
According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, there are six former Titan I missile complexes in Colorado.
Some of the dangers of the former military sites include soil contamination from petroleum chemicals and/or from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and groundwater contamination from cleaning solvents, the organization says.
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Sable Altura Fire Rescue also warned its community about abandoned missile silos.
“A reminder…the military history on the eastern plains of Colorado is better left to the history books,” the first responders wrote. “PLEASE do not think for any moment, that these are safe environments to enter or explore.”
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