Firefighters Get Call About Person Possibly Stuck in Old Water Tower, Find Spooky Surprise Inside

By Amanda Thomason October 31, 2022 at 1:11pm

It’s the time of year when haunted houses, spooky noises and all matter of frights are commonplace. Some people add to the effect by decorating their homes and offices, but there are plenty of naturally occurring scares as well.

The Sacramento Fire Department in California reportedly encountered one such surprise on Thursday evening when a call came in about a person possibly being trapped in a local historical point of interest: an old water tower.

The tower, located at the Railyards property just north of downtown, has a 100,000-gallon tank and is an impressive 72 feet off the ground, according to KCRA-TV.

The steel water tower is listed as a landmark on the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources. It was built in the 1930s and stands as an ode to an earlier time.

However, it’s rusted, out of commission and a possible death trap for anyone cavalier enough to trespass.

“We have an 80-foot, above-ground water tower, and there’s potentially a person in there,” one first responder said over emergency radio channels, according to KCRA.

Crews rushed to the site, and one responder carefully worked his way to the top of the tower, to peer into the small hatch that opened into the tank.

“Firefighter Ramirez,” as he was referred to over the radio, took out his flashlight, peered into the tank and soon found the source of all the consternation.

“Firefighter Ramirez, is that you, saying that you see nobody in there?” a voice over the radio prompted.

“Just a couple of owls,” Ramirez responded.

It’s not all that surprising that the commotion and noise heard by owls in a water tank might cause a concerned passer-by to think something was amiss.

The large birds are known to nest in all sorts of human structures, including church steeples, bridges and, yes, water towers.

They’re opportunistic, looking for a good vantage point safe from predators and the elements, and an old water tower fits the bill — even if it might cause some confusion for the locals at times.

After realizing the situation was not as dire as originally thought, the crew took the opportunity to work through what the rescue would have looked like had there been a person in the water tower.

“We were just sitting here talking about if we did have to actually hoist someone out of there what that would look like,” one voice on the radio said. “So it is a good discussion to be having.”

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