Rescue from Mine Shaft was Challenging for Nevada County, CA, Technical Crews

The confined space rescue took several hours as the victim fell 30 feet onto a ledge in the Nevada County mine.

By Darrell Smith

Source The Sacramento Bee (TNS)

Dec. 8, 2025

2 min read

Rescue technicans set up operations to rescue a person who fell into an abandoned mine.

A Nevada County man was rescued by a team of firefighters early Saturday after falling down an abandoned mine shaft while searching for a lost dog late Friday, said Nevada County Consolidated Fire Department officials.

Firefighters from Peardale Chicago Park and Ophir Hill fire departments discovered the man had plunged 30 feet down the shaft near Lower Colfax and Agony Hill roads.

The technically difficult mission took hours and a team of 17 rescuers to pull the man from the shaft, said Nevada County fire officials. Grass Valley and Nevada County fire units were called to assist in the operation and found the man balancing on a ledge. The man could talk with responders, but a leg injury meant that a rescuer had to be lowered into the shaft to lift him to safety.

“A confined space technical rescue of this nature requires agencies to follow strict OSHA guidelines to ensure rescuers don’t become additional victims,” Nevada County fire officials said in a statement.

The painstaking ordeal ended early Saturday with rescuers hoisting the man out of the mine shaft to be rushed into trauma care at Sutter Roseville Medical Center. His condition was not known Saturday afternoon.