Firefighters rescue man trapped in Santa Barbara storm drain

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Santa Barbara City Fire rescued a man trapped in a storm drain Friday evening. The man told firefighters he had been trapped in the storm drain for "days."

A bystander heard the man calmly asking for help from below a manhole near the intersection of Anapamu Street and Salsipuedes Street, near the Santa Barbara High School campus.

The bystander, Shomari McLemore, then called 911.

“The phone call was odd, because I think the dispatcher was thrown off because I was also calm about it as well,” he said.

Firefighters arrived and opened another nearby manhole, where they helped the man climb out. Firefighters are still investigating when and how the man first went into the storm drain area.

“We’re still trying to confirm that story, but his initial report was that he had been in there for a couple of days,” Santa Barbara City Fire Battalian Chief Robert Mercado said. “We can’t confirm that at this point. But all that we can confirm is he got himself in there, and we’re still trying to figure out how he made access into that area.”

The man was transported to the hospital for evaluation, but firefighters say he had no significant injuries.