Last week, a local worker fell into a hole while sandblasting a barge near San Carlos Island, which set off a dramatic, multi-agency rescue. Crews freed him from the tight spot and rushed him to a local hospital.
It happened just after 9 a.m. on June 9, 2026. Fort Myers Beach Fire District received a call about someone injured and stuck inside a confined space on a barge off San Carlos Island, at 2020 Main Street. When firefighters arrived, they found the man in a lower part of a secondary barge, about 10 feet down, off the shore, with what looked like some traumatic injuries, including a possible broken arm.
Getting to him wasn’t easy. Fire officials said the worker’s position deep inside the barge meant crews had to squeeze through tight spaces and deal with deteriorating conditions. They relied heavily on their technical rescue training, working out a plan as they went.
The rescue wasn’t a solo effort. Teams from the Fort Myers Beach Fire District, Iona-McGregor Fire District, and South Trail Fire Protection & Rescue Service District worked together. Using technical rescue gear, they lifted the worker out of the vessel’s lower section; from start to finish, it took about 45 minutes. To help coordinate, Fort Myers Beach Fire launched a drone, which provided live aerial footage to crews and Lee Control within minutes.
Paramedics took the worker straight to a local trauma center. Officials haven’t detailed the full extent of his injuries yet, though the broken arm seemed clear.
Rescues like this don’t happen often, and firefighters say that’s exactly why they practice for these situations: tight spaces, tricky access, unexpected challenges. In this emergency, those life-saving drills paid off.
