Firefighters Rescue Girl Locked in Old Bank Vault Used as Dressing Room [VIDEO]
(ABC 7 New York) A 14-year old girl was accidentally locked in an old bank vault used as a dressing room at Kate & Hale in Long Island, New York, thanks to the incredible work of the Port Jefferson Fire Department, the girl is safe.
You've seen them in restaurants, bars, clothing stores...old vaults no longer used for stashing money but more as a nostalgic look at the past. Many establishments keep the thick doors open to allow these old vaults to become part of the ambiance of the establishment, enhancing square footage in many cases.
A clothing store in Port Jefferson had been using an old bank vault in the Kate & Hale building as a dressing room. The door always remained propped open. A 14-year-old girl was using the dressing room when her 7-year-old brother shut the door. She was locked in.
Her mother immediately dialed 911. A team of local rescue personnel including the Port Jefferson Fire Department, Terryville Fire Department, New York, Suffolk County Police Department and Port Jefferson EMS all assisted in the rescue.
After finding an air vent leading inside the vault, the rescue team knew the teenager would have enough air to breathe, but now they had to decide which way to get in...the door or a wall. The team decided the best way in was through the 18-inch thick wall of brick and concrete.
The 14-year-old used FaceTime to show the rescuers the inside of the vault before and during the rescue.
ABC 7 reports the team used every tool they had to get inside the vault.
We used hammer drills, we used our jaws of life, our cutter...Pretty much any tool that was on our rescue truck we used to get access to this area. -Assistant Fire Chief Steve Erland told ABC 7
A nearby rental store donated additional tools to assist the firefighters in the rescue.