16-year-old rescued from mine shaft near Auburn

A 16-year-old male was rescued Monday afternoon from a vertical mine shaft near Auburn. Placer County Fire and Auburn City Fire crews arrived in the area and were led in by the victim's friends. According to CAL FIRE, the County Fire Department's Technical Rescue Team assessed the victim and his friends entered a horizontal mine shaft 180 feet into the side of the mountain and used household ropes to rappel roughly 40-50 feet down a vertical shaft. CAL FIRE reported during their ascent, the rope broke and a victim fell 30 feet back to the bottom of the shaft. Another victim attempted to free climb back up but ran out of strength and positioned himself on a precarious ledge to await rescuers. The Technical Rescue Team set up a lightweight, complex rope system and established air monitoring, CAL FIRE confirmed. The primary rescuer rappelled to the victim's location, secured him with a harness and packaged him onto the rope system. Rescuers were then able to extract the individual safely and he was transported to a local trauma center for treatment. "This incident highlights the unique natural hazards ever present within our beautiful and rugged landscape in Placer County," CAL FIRE said. "Our commitment to public safety in these diverse scenarios using highly trained special operations teams is paramount in our service to the public."