WATCH — ‘A Christmas Miracle’: California Man Rescued from Narrow Tunnel After 20-Hour Operation

Amy Furr

A California man’s life was saved Friday after he became trapped in a hole on Sunset Cliffs in San Diego County.

The rescue mission took about 20 hours to accomplish once the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department was notified that someone saw the man in the hole on Thursday afternoon, NBC San Diego reported.

The man was apparently conscious, but he was unable to climb out of the hole. One official told reporters at the scene:

So, waist down, it was crushed all with rock and debris. So, as he fell in and as he slid down through that hole about 15 to 20 feet, all that compressed around him, and of course, when you’re trying to climb out, everything starts coming again. And it just slowly compressed everything in on his body, and the rocks moved in around it, too.

Authorities claimed the man had been trying to create a shelter but became wedged when he fell. To make the situation more tense, a storm moved into the area during the rescue operation. Therefore, authorities were forced to pause their efforts and wait for the tide to go back down.

However, they made sure to keep the hole covered. They also kept the man warm and gave him IV fluids and drinks to help sustain him throughout the night.

The man lost consciousness for a while, but firefighters monitored him constantly and kept him warm. The NBC report noted rescuers stayed with him throughout the night.

A photo shows crews at the scene working to free the man:

Several agencies helped during the operation, and a crew with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department that performs cave rescues also arrived to help save the man’s life.

The team worked to split the large rocks so they could be removed. The man was finally freed from the hole at approximately 11:00 a.m. on Friday.

Photos show the man on a stretcher as he is lifted away from the rocky cliffs:

Authorities said that when the man was extricated from the cliffside, he thanked the crews for their efforts. He was then taken to a local hospital but reportedly only suffered minor injuries during the incident.

SDFD Cliff Rescue

On Dec. 21, 2023 at about 4 p.m., SD Fire-Rescue dispatchers received a call from passersby in the area of Cable and Orchard streets. They reported finding a person who had fallen into a hole on a cliffside. SDFD lifeguards were dispatched and they confirmed that a man was, in fact, trapped in the hole. At the time he was conscious and talking but he was unable to exit the small space on his own. Lifeguards called for additional resources including firefighters in the area and members of the technical rescue team. Firefighters determined that the man was pinned from his waist down by heavy rocks and debris. The opening of the hole was about 12 to 18 inches and he was about 15 to 20 feet down from the cliff entry point. SDFD firefighters and lifeguards tried for hours to rescue the man but were not able to. A storm had been forecast and the tide was predicted to rise so rescuers decided to cover the hole and provide heat packs, intravenous fluids and fluids the patient could drink to keep his electrolytes up. He was not given food because crews did not know the extent of his injuries. The rescue operation was paused because of the rain and rising tide but the patient was not left alone through the night. An engine company stayed with him protecting the space from filling with water and assuring the man that efforts would resume in the morning. The patient did lose consciousness during the night but firefighters continued to monitor him and try to keep him warm. Throughout this 20 hour rescue, crews were rotated every six hours for their safety and the safety of the patient. A special cave rescue team from San Bernardino County Sheriff's Dept. was requested and they arrived very early on Friday morning. This team uses materials to split the large rocks so that firefighters can then break up the rocks and remove them by hand. The greatest challenge in this unprecedented rescue was the pressure on the patient's legs. He was pinned from the waist down. The rescue efforts re-started with a goal of getting him out by 11 a.m. because of the expected rise in the tide. Just before 11 a.m., the patient was safely extricated from the hole. He was hoisted to street level in a stokes basket attached to an aerial ladder and transferred to an ambulance. The ambulance took him to the hospital for treatment. The man was awake during the extrication and said, "Thank you," to his rescuers. Our technical rescue teams have years and years of experience with all types of emergencies, natural disasters and rescues but this was the first time they encountered this type of situation. There were many obstacles, but the teams persevered and were successful in getting the man out. Thanks to Chula Vista Fire Department, the County of San Diego USAR team, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Dept. cave team and San Diego Police Department for their collaboration. #cliffrescue #technicalrescue #firefighters #lifeguards #metrozonedispatch #teamwork

Posted by San Diego Fire-Rescue Department on Friday, December 22, 2023

One neighbor who watched the rescue unfold told NBC News, “It’s a Christmas miracle. That’s all I can say.”

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