A juvenile was rescued uninjured after becoming trapped inside a collapsed cave near Lake Alan Henry in Garza County, Texas, on Friday night.
Lubbock Fire Rescue was called shortly before 9pm on September 18 after receiving a mutual aid request from Garza County. Its Heavy Rescue and Dive teams were sent to the public campsites, where the juvenile was trapped beneath a large boulder blocking the cave’s only exit.
Rescuers determined that the safest and most effective route to the cave was from the shoreline. Boats operated by Lubbock Fire Rescue and the Texas Game Wardens were used to move personnel and heavy equipment across the water.
Garza County officials and Texas Game Wardens worked alongside the fire service under a unified command. While the Heavy Rescue Team broke through the obstruction, crews assembled a vertical extraction system to remove the juvenile from the cave.
A harness was lowered into the opening and rescuers guided the juvenile through securing it before carrying out the hoist to safety.
The individual was assessed at the scene by Garza County EMS and was found to be uninjured. An Aerocare medical helicopter had been requested as a precaution but was later cancelled.
