PHOTOS: San Bernardino County Fire Department search teams staged a daring and complex rescue of a man trapped in a remote mine over the weekend, authorities say.
Early Sunday morning, County Fire officials received a call from an unidentified explorer in a rural, unincorporated area of Twentynine Palms who had recently left a mine and reported that a partner was still inside and unable to get out.
According to a statement form the San Bernardino County Fire Department, multiple Urban Search and Rescue teams were deployed to handle the operation.
Rescuers had to drive off-road for 45 minutes to reach the mine and begin the operation. Three heavy rescue vehicles, three engines and a total of 35 staff were deployed to the scene near Gold Crown Road.
To reach the trapped man, rescuers braved significant hazards within the mine, including unsafe terrain, and high temperatures and humidity, officials said in the statement that described the 15-hour effort.