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Crews Rescue Two Men Trapped on Little Mountain Water Tower

Sheriff Foster says the two men never panicked, and all made it safely to the ground.
Credit: Sheriff Lee Foster

Little Mountain, SC (WLTX) -- Two men are safe tonight after being trapped on a water tower in Little Mountain.

Around 9 a.m. Wednesday, two painters working on the water tower got trapped after their scaffolding lots its support.

"At some point as they were descending, the scaffolding failed and spilled them out," said Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster.

Foster captured the rescue on Facebook live, where he said "This is not something you see every day in Little Mountain".

It's unknown exactly how far the two men fell, but after the scaffolding fell sideways, one man was left dangling on his support rope mid-air, while the other managed to balance himself inside the cage.

Both painters were an estimated 30 to 40 feet off the ground.

"You've seen it on the TV shows Emergency, Chicago Fire and those things like that, but you've never seen it in person," said Foster, who's worked in fire service for 44 years.

The men called 911, and within minutes, a deputy arrived from around the corner. First responders from Chapin, Little Mountain, Newberry and Lexington Counties followed.

"There was no panic at all. [The two men] were very calm," said Foster. "They didn't even appear to be shaken up. It was almost like a matter of a day's work for them."

Foster estimates the pair was trapped for half an hour. Had they not used the rope for reinforcement, Foster says the fall could have been deadly.

Thanks to the group of first responders, most of whom are volunteers, this rescue mission was a success.

"Everybody in the fire rescue service here in Little Mountain are volunteers, but they are highly trained volunteers," said Foster. "They're just regular guys and gals that respond because they want to help their community."

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