Fort Worth firefighters rescue man who fell inside abandoned grain silo, officials say
A man was seriously injured after he fell over 10 feet inside an abandoned grain silo south of downtown Fort Worth the night of Oct. 2, officials said.
The Fort Worth Fire Department responded to the silo at 1937 S. Main St. around 11:45 p.m Wednesday. The man was several stories up inside the silo, and crews had to call for a high-angle rescue response, fire officials said on social media.
Fire Department medics were able to treat the man inside the silo, then members of the department’s technical rescue team used a rope system to lift the patient. He was hoisted outside a fifth-story window and lowered to the ground, according to the post.
The man was taken to a local hospital in serious condition, according to fire officials.
A Fort Worth Fire Department spokesperson said another person was at the scene, but didn’t need to be rescued.
Fire Department officials said they’re not sure what the people were doing there, but several TikTok videos from the past few years appear to show urban explorers recording themselves at abandoned silos in the city.
The silos at 1937 S. Main St. are part of the former site of the Kimbell Milling Co. The property has been written up for various code violations in the last several months, including high grass/weeds, property maintenance and solid waste violations, according to online records.
The current owners could not immediately be reached for comment.
The grain elevators between 1901 and 2001 S. Main are part of two groups of silos on each side of the South Main Street Bridge that runs over the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, according to the website Architecture in Fort Worth. The steel-reinforced concrete structures were mostly built between 1924 and 1952, according to the architecture site, which says the tallest of the elevators is 180 feet. Tarrant Appraisal District records list the structure at 1937 S. Main as being built in 1962.
The Star-Telegram has previously reported on residents’ calls to demolish a different abandoned silo, in the 3700 block of Alice Street in the Worth Heights area, which neighbors have said is a danger to the community.
This story was originally published October 3, 2024 at 9:58 AM.
