ORANGE BEACH, Ala. (AP) — A man who fell about 40 feet inside an empty water tower on the Alabama coast had to rescued by firefighters but didn’t suffer life-threatening injuries, officials said.
Workers were painting the tower on Ono Island when a worker fell to the bottom of the structure on Thursday, the Orange Beach Fire Department said in a statement released on its Facebook page.
Firefighters trained in rescue operations went inside the tank with ropes and used a stretcher to first lift the man and then lower him about 150 feet to the ground.
The Fire Department said the man was conscious and alert during the rescue operation. He was taken to a hospital in Pensacola, Florida, by helicopter.