In a dramatic rescue operation on Thursday, a Fontana woman was saved from a 25-foot-deep sinkhole that opened up right outside her mobile home. The hole, a result of intense storms hammering Southern California, became a trap for the unnamed woman after she stepped outside her abode in the 8200 block of Cherry Avenue, reported FOXLA.com.
Emergency responders from the San Bernardino County Fire Department, including an Urban Search and Rescue Team, were on the scene to extract the woman, plummeting into the gaping earth shortly after her kids noticed she had gone missing. Their father, informed while at work, hastened home as part of the rescue unfolded, as ABC7 reported. "Awake and talking," the victim remained during the ordeal, according to officials.
While the consistent heavy rains had abated, their aftermath continued to rear up in ways both unforeseen and perilous. The fire department's efforts showcased a delicate operation, where rescuers, bound by cables, descended into the maw to reach the woman. Photos from the scene, showing the rescuers peering into the sinkhole's shadows, illustrated both the risks and the precision required in such daunting rescue missions.
Around 10:30 a.m., the tension-ridden method came to fruition as the rescuers began retracting the cable attached to a winch on a fire department vehicle. Watched by anxious onlookers, the winch, hosting the woman's fate, reeled in the lifeline that bore her back to safety. Finally, the victim, alongside the firefighter, emerged from the depths, and she was quickly ushered into an ambulance and taken from the scene for further assessment.
In the wake of the storm, the National Weather Service issued multiple advisories warning region inhabitants of potential flash flooding. Throughout the "Southland," as it's locally known, recovery efforts were ongoing to repair and ameliorate storm-related damages, which included the displacement of residents like the Fontana woman, after the storm aimed at their homes.
