Updated: Man rescued from deep crevice cave near Singhampton
Jamie Murray is very grateful for the miracle that has allowed her family to be together.
Her husband Seth Rowe, although sore and stiff, is recovering at home in Glen Huron this week after a harrowing experience that almost cost him his life.
The 30-year-old man was extricated from a deep crevice cave Sunday after being trapped for about 22 hours.
“He’s healing, he’s doing okay,” said Murray.
Clearview Fire and Emergency Services aided in a complex and technical overnight rescue on the weekend at Nottawasaga Bluffs Conservation Area, near Singhampton, where Rowe was trapped.
The call came in at 8:22 p.m. on Saturday, June 20 and Rowe was not extricated from the crevice until the next morning, after a 14-hour rescue effort that involved rescuers from fire departments in Barrie and Toronto.
Rowe, an avid outdoorsman and hiker, was alone at the conservation area when he became trapped in the cave.
He had a cell phone but couldn’t get a signal.
Luckily, he was able to yell out to people when he heard others in the area and they called his wife, who then called 911.
Murray had been worried about her husband that day and had even gone to the park to look for him when he didn’t come home. Figuring he was en route, she went to the movie theatre with their four-year-old daughter. She was at the theatre when she received the call from one of the two strangers who had located her husband.
Rowe asked that his wife bring rope and blankets to the site but it didn’t take long to realize that the situation was serious and rescuers would need to be called.
Friends did rush to the scene, as did Murray.
Rescuers had to chisel their way to the man who was 12 metres (about 40 feet) below ground level. The rescuer that was sent down into the cave was a very small firefighter from Toronto and his coveralls were duct taped to make them as tight as possible so he could get through, said Clearview Fire Chief Colin Shewell.
“Really it was an eight-inch crack that this gentleman was in and he wasn’t straight down. He was down and over 20 feet,” he said.
In the cave, it is quite cold and there’s still snow. Crews used heaters and tubes to pump warm air into the space and they also managed to send in blankets, food and water.
Rescuers could not see the man from the top of the crevice and there was limited communication with the patient.
“It was a very long 14-hour process,” said Murray. “When they did pull him out, he was sore, scraped and a bit out of it.”
Rowe was transported to the hospital to be assessed for injuries. There was nothing major but he did have slight hypothermia.
“It’s honestly, literally a miracle,” said Murray.
She said she’s not sure if the reality of the situation has sunk in for her husband or herself because they have been busy doing interviews and dealing with the fallout. Rowe’s truck keys are still in the cave and their truck is still on site.
The whole family is feeling a lot of gratitude this week. Their daughter picked flowers and presented them to Shewell earlier this week as a thank-you to all of the rescuers.
“She’s really happy to have her daddy home, she told him, no more holes,” said Murray.
Shewell said the rescue was successful due to a team effort.
“The Incident Command Structure worked exceptionally well with multiple agencies working together to affect the rescue under one unified command,” said Shewell. “Clearview Fire, Barrie Fire, Toronto Fire, Simcoe County Paramedic Services and Ontario Provincial Police used a team effort towards a successful outcome in an extremely challenging rescue situation.”
Several local residents and businesses also pitched in.
Bill Leimgardt, one local firefighter’s father, contributed two ATVs to the effort. Stayner Tim Hortons provided hot beverages and food to about 50 rescue workers on site and Stayner Rental opened in the middle of the night to make equipment available. Crews used the business’ hoses, tools, chisels and heaters.
Shewell said The Ontario Mine Rescue Team was also called, but was stood down.
