ST. PAUL, Minn. - The St. Paul Fire Department technical rescue team was forced into action late Tuesday morning after a group of young rouge explorers was seen entering a cave on the banks of the Mississippi River Tuesday.
Fire Department spokesman Assistant Chief Mike Gaede says first responders were notified of the situation by a public works crew that saw a group of seven or eight people climbing through the entrance of the cave, which is on the 2500 block of Crosby Farm Road. A Public Works employee yelled at the group not to go in, but the last person in line scrambled inside. By the time the city crew got to the entrance the explorers were no longer in sight.
The Public Works Crew then called 911, and the fire department's technical rescue crew was called in. While there is no indication that the explorers were in immediate distress, authorities were not willing to take chances.
"They are not safe caves, they are not meant to be occupied," Gaede told reporters.
The explorers were seen entering the cave around 10 a.m. Technical rescue crews entered around 11 a.m., and led the teens out about 20 minutes later. At that point the teens were handed over to police, handcuffed and taken into custody. KARE 11's Kent Erdahl reports that two of the suspects are 18, and the rest are juveniles. They face gross misdemeanor charges of trespassing.
All were said to be in good condition.
"It appears they were just kids acting like kids," Gaede explained while emphasizing that the morning's activities were not a small deal. "We've got 25 personnel out here, two medical rigs, five squad cars to deal with all these kids, this is a serious deal," he insisted. "A huge resource need for us, and an extremely unsafe environment for those kids down there."
Gaede stressed that going into the caves is an illegal act. He adds that the technical rescue team has air quality monitors and oxygen, while those who entered the cave likely do not. He says the biggest danger is the explorers being overcome by carbon monoxide or lack of oxygen.
City crews will block off the entrance, but Gaede did not sound confident it will remain closed. He says first responders are repeatedly called to cave entrances that explorers have dug out in order to gain access.