Woman vanishes into 25-foot sinkhole outside home, California rescuers say

A woman fell into a 25-foot-deep sinkhole outside her Fontana home, California firefighters reported.

It’s not clear how the woman fell into the hole, but her children noticed her missing and called their father, who rushed home from work, KABC reported.

Someone heard screams from the hole in a bricked-over patio area and called 911 at 9:45 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, KTLA reported.

Firefighters on scene at 10:15 a.m. found the woman, who could not be seen from the surface, was awake and talking, the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District said on X, formerly Twitter.

Firefighters prepared for an enclosed space rescue and lowered a rescuer into the hole, subsequent posts said. Photos and videos showed the rescue work.

At 11:53 a.m., firefighters posted a video of the woman being pulled from the hole. She was taken to a hospital to be evaluated, firefighters said.

Fire district spokesperson Eric Sherwin told KTLA the 40-year-old woman suffered injuries to her legs.

Fontana is about 55 miles east of Los Angeles.

This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Woman vanishes into 25-foot sinkhole outside home, California rescuers say."