Pennsylvania teen rescued from wind caves

Wind caves.

Credit: David McNew

Credit: David McNew

Wind caves.

A Pennsylvania teen who was trapped inside wind caves in Lancaster County was rescued after eight hours, WHTM reported Sunday.

Dispatchers said the 15-year-old boy, who was with a group of friends and adults, became trapped about 250 feet into the wind caves in Martic Township around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Lancaster Online reported.

Tony Williams, a spokesman for the Rawlinsville Volunteer Fire Company, said the boy was rescued at 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Williams said access to retrieve the boy was limited, and the effort was complicated by the chilly weather.

“The access back to the scene is probably about a 20 minute walk on a good day but with the snow and the mud it is twice as bad,” Williams told WHTM.

Williams said it took 45 minutes to move the boy to the cave entrance, Lancaster Online reported. He was examined by a doctor and then was taken to a hospital for a full evaluation, Williams said.

The boy’s name was not released. His father, who was on the scene, declined to speak with reporters, Lancaster Online reported.

Wind caves are natural formations that reach back hundreds of feet. The ones in Lancaster County are among the largest tectonic caves in the eastern United States, Lancaster Online reported.