A man was rescued after falling into a vault toilet at a campground in Shaver Lake, California, on Saturday afternoon.
When authorities were called to Camp Edison regarding the situation, they learned the man had dropped his sunglasses into the toilet and was trying to retrieve them, Your Central Valley reported Sunday.
Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Chris Tullus said the man was inside the non-flushing toilet for nearly 15 minutes until he was rescued.
“Via a Spanish translator, they advised that the subject had fallen into the chemical storage tank. Law enforcement, Camp Edison staff, and fire personnel responded and were able to safely get him out, decontaminate him, and, he’ll be ok,” Tullus explained.
Vault toilets collect waste in an underground tank and are usually found at campgrounds and national parks, according to Southland Organics:
While the underground vault is usually between 750 and 1,000 gallons in size, it can go up to 13,000 gallons. These vaults are pumped out periodically, and the waste is hauled out to municipal wastewater treatment plants.
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How does a vault toilet work? The buildings are designed with a vent system so that fresh air naturally flows through the building and out of the vault and vent pipe. The U.S. Forest Service calls this concept the “sweet smelling toilet (SST).” Because of this, using a vault toilet is typically much more pleasant than other waterless toilets, like pit toilets.
Video footage showed construction workers building a vault toilet:
After what authorities called a confined space rescue, the man did not report any serious injuries and Cal Fire officials hosed him down, the Valley article said.
The campground’s website reads, “We built Camp Edison in 1963 in a pine forest on the western shores of Shaver Lake, California. It’s been a favorite vacation spot ever since. Our 252 campsites are available to the public and they include electricity. We’re open year-round.”
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