The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded Saturday alongside Cal Fire personnel after a man was reported trapped in the holding tank of a toilet vault at Camp Edison, about 50 miles northeast of Fresno.
“This is a facility with no plumbing, so it essentially operates like a porta potty,” the sheriff’s office said on social media, describing the vault toilet.
Rescuers learned the man had attempted to reach into the toilet to retrieve a pair of dropped sunglasses and ended up falling in, the office said.
“After spending close to 15 minutes in the tank, deputies and firefighters were able to pull the man out to safety. Due to his exposure to urine, fecal matter and chemicals, he was put through a decontamination process,” the post said.
The man, described as “otherwise unharmed,” was able to walk away without further medical attention, authorities said.
“As for safety tips, never try and reach inside a tank of a vault toilet,” officials wrote. “If you drop something inside, consider it a loss. Always secure or remove valuables (phone, wallet, jewelry, etc.) before getting close to the hole of one of these toilets.”
The incident is the latest in a series of unusual entrapments at outdoor recreation sites. Vault toilets, common at remote campgrounds without plumbing, consist of a seat above a large underground holding tank containing chemical solution and human waste. The tanks can be several feet deep, and their contents pose serious risks of asphyxiation, drowning, and infection to anyone who falls inside.