Marina Fire: Boy rescued from sand at Fort Ord Dunes alive and doing well
MARINA, Calif. (KION)
UPDATE 7/17/2020 11 a.m. The Marina Fire Department has provided an update on a boy who was rescued after being trapped under sand at Fort Ord Dunes State park, and they say he is alive and well.
Last week, the fire department responded to a report of a boy buried under several feet of sand in a hole he dug, and when they got there, they found his mouth and nose exposed, but the rest of his body was buried. His face was exposed after family, friends, lifeguards and rangers dug by hand, but he spent about 5 to 10 minutes completely buried, according to the fire department.
The boy was treated at CHOMP and was later flown to Stanford for observation.
His mother asked the fire department to share her son's story to spread awareness about the dangers of digging deep holes, trenches or tunnels in sand.
The fire department said sand is unstable, and heads should never be below grade. The boy's head was 4 to 5 feet below grade when the hole collapsed.
“My recommendation would be to always ensure that, you know, anytime you’re in sand or really any other type of soil, is always have at least your chest height of your body above the surface of the ground,” Marina Fire Department Captain Mark Sweeney said.
A photo shared by his mom shows him in the hole ten minutes before the collapse.
PREVIOUS STORY: An eight-year-old boy was trapped under the sand at Fort Ord Dunes State Park on Thursday, according to California State Parks. He was conscious and breathing as he was transported to a hospital, after being dug out by first responders.
Sean James, Cal State Parks Monterey District Superintendent, tells KION the boy dug a hole about four to six feet deep and was sitting in the bottom when it reportedly collapsed. James says they were able to respond to the family's 911 call quickly because a lifeguard and a ranger unit were only 100 yards away.
The lifeguard, rangers and Marina Fire Department found the boy two feet under the surface and had to carve out a way for him to breathe.
After being pulled from the sand, the boy was transported to the hospital. James says he was conscious and breathing.
James adds that sand collapsing like this is a rare occurrence, but four to fix feet is not a safe size. He recommends people limit their holes at the beach to no more than a couple feet.
