Woman spends 16 hours wedged in 12-inch cave opening, California rescuers say

A woman was rescued from a cave’s opening after spending 16 hours trapped, California deputies said.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department responded to a cave in Boulevard on reports of a woman being stuck, according to an Oct. 22 news release.

The woman was trying to get through the Thunder Canyon Cave’s 12-inch opening when she got stuck on Saturday, Oct. 21, deputies said.

Once her friends realized they wouldn’t be able to get her out on their own, they called for help, officials said.

After hours of hiking, search and rescue teams slowly passed their gear and equipment through the “very narrow passages” while keeping the woman “warm with blankets to prevent hypothermia,” officials said.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s cave rescue team was called to assist and ropes were used to get the woman out, deputies said.

Then the woman was airlifted to a waiting ambulance by a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection helicopter, the release said. She was treated for minor injuries, scrapes, bruises and exhaustion.

The San Diego Sheriff’s Department urges the public to remember to never go in a cave alone, tell someone when you’ll return, watch out for tight areas, stay on the trail if there is one and to always bring a charged phone even if there isn’t cell service, the release said.

Boulevard is about 70 miles east of downtown San Diego.

This story was originally published October 23, 2023 at 11:03 AM with the headline "Woman spends 16 hours wedged in 12-inch cave opening, California rescuers say."