A visit by two friends to a piece of property for sale ended in a special operation team rescuing one of them.
One of the men fell into an old well, landing about 15 feet below in chest-deep water that also had a dead rat floating in it.
“It’s a good thing his buddy was with him, because he would have died,” said J.D. Young, battalion chief for the Olympia Fire District. “There’s no way he could have gotten out.”
The well was about 3 feet in diameter and the concrete lid had been pulled aside “some time ago,” Young said.
The property was in the area of 28th Avenue and Cooper Point.
Because of the confined space, the Thurston County Special Operations Team was called out. First responders got a rope around the man’s chest and then the team completed the extrication.
The man was conscious and talking, but showing signs of hypothermia, Young said.
The call came in at 9:52 a.m. and the man was extricated about 25 minutes later, Young said. The man was taken to a hospital for evaluation, but had no visible injuries aside from being cold and wet, Young said.
Animals and people fall into old wells all the time, Young said. “If you have a well on site, make sure it gets covered,” Young said.
Units from Black Lake/McLane, Tumwater and Lacey Fire District 3 also responded.