It's not every day you find an abandoned missile silo, and if you do, you sure need to be careful not to fall down it. Who knows what horrors lurk in the murky depths?
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During the cold war, the US built a lot of strategic underground missile silos. They were used to house defense, or attack systems in response to the mounting tensions during the nuclear arms race. Thankfully, we're kind of past all that now, and as a race, have decided that the Earth only needs enough nuclear armaments to turn the planet into a large marble 1000x over.
But, as a result, there are a lot of abandoned missile silos around the country, just waiting for people to fall in. The exhaust shafts, which can be very narrow, are easily covered by growth. The shafts are incredibly deep, steep, and commonly filled with water. However, they are also on private property and cordoned off.
But, kids will be kids, and if you tell them not to go somewhere, curiosity will always win. In the second case of the year, a young man had to be rescued from an abandoned missile silo after a fall left him stuck at the bottom.
Hellish Rescue For Trapped Teen In Missile Silo Exhaust Fall
The two teens and an adult were half a mile into the abandoned missile silo site when one of them dropped 30 feet down the vent. The silo, in Aurora Reservoir in Arapahoe County, was on private property, and away from civilization.
He was lucky in that his fall was broken by water at the bottom of the missile silo vent. However, there was a lot of debris, including metal and other parts. He fell around 30 or 40 feet to the base. Incredibly, he was able to tread water until emergency services arrived.
Emergency services arrived and were relieved to find that despite injuries he had stayed afloat in the 4 or 5 feet of water. His fall into the missile silo could have been fatal. Within an hour and fifteen minutes, the rescue teams had constructed a rope system.
They lowered themselves down and were able to pull the young man back from the bottom of the pit. He was taken to hospital, but his injuries were not life-threatening.
Now, the three explorers are being charged with trespassing. Although, I feel watching your friend fall down an abandoned missile silo vent is enough of a life lesson. I don't think they'll be doing it again anytime soon.
