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BARSTOW, Calif. () — Firefighters with the San Bernardino County Fire Department recently conducted training inside an abandoned mine near Barstow as they prepare for the challenges of rescuing people who become trapped in remote mine shafts across the county.
The search for precious minerals helped build California. Now the many abandoned mines across the state pose significant dangers.
Officials said the department responds to mine rescue calls about twice a year. While some abandoned mines are relatively flat, others contain steep and hazardous terrain.
“If you’re not wary, and you don’t have the lighting, and just don’t have the skill sets, then falling is quite problematic obviously,” said Donnie Viloria, who has been conducting mine rescues for nearly 40 years.
Viloria said many people underestimate the dangers posed by abandoned mines, particularly the lack of light.
“I’ve been on mine rescues where that was the light source of the victim that we were going after,” he said. “They had a BIC lighter, that’s what they were using. And it went out right when they were getting to the back of the mine and they dropped 200 feet.”
Firefighters also warned about another hazard: dust. During a visit to an abandoned mine near Calico Ghost Town, crews noted the amount of dust that can be stirred up as people move through tunnels and slopes underground.
“It starts out very calm. Not a lot’s going on. But when everybody starts moving around up and down these slopes inside the mine, before you know it you can’t see your hand in front of your face,” Viloria said.
Viloria recalled a rescue at the same mine about a year earlier, when dozens of people were attending a rave party underground. He said the dust became so severe that people began falling and trampling one another.
“They just started trampling each other; they were falling, and yeah, we ended up with a significant number of injuries as a result of that as well in the middle of nowhere, in the Middle of Mojave Desert,” he said.
The challenges extend beyond conditions inside the mines. The San Bernardino County Fire Department said there are an estimated 3,500 known mines in the county, but none are mapped, making it difficult for rescuers to locate both victims and the mines themselves.
“Most of the time when we get these calls, it comes in with GPS coordinates and that’s it. That’s all we’ve get,” Viloria said.
One rescue in Twentynine Palms highlighted those difficulties. Firefighters responded to an abandoned mine about three miles off the main road after two Marines planned to descend a 250-foot mine shaft and exit through a tunnel they had previously identified.
According to San Bernardino County Fire Department official Cody Schnaufer, an earthquake had collapsed the tunnel exit before the pair entered the mine.
“What was unknown was that an earthquake at some point, which there were several in the area weeks leading up to this event, had collapsed that exit. So, when they hit the bottom they had no exit,” Schnaufer said.
A third person who remained at the surface was able to call for help, but only after traveling a significant distance to obtain cell service.
“That third person actually had to travel over a mile to get cell reception to make that 911 call,” Schnaufer said.
Rescuers spent nearly six hours reaching the bottom of the shaft. The Marines were found uninjured, but Schnaufer said they encountered additional dangers while trapped underground.
“They had rattlesnakes coming out of that collapse. They had tarantulas and scorpions. So, when I got to the bottom, that was the biggest thing they were talking about is they just killed a rattlesnake with a Swiss Army knife,” he said.
Viloria said adventurous explorers often underestimate how difficult it can be to obtain emergency assistance in remote desert areas.
“There’s probably not a lot I could say or do to keep people from being adventurous, but there is no easy access to 911 in the middle of nowhere,” he said.
“It could be hours, if not days, for us to get to you accurately to access you. I don’t think it’s worth the risk.”
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