INDIANAPOLIS — Firefighters rescued a 15-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man after their "exploration day" ended with them trapped in the basement of a building on the near north side of Indianapolis, fire investigators said.
Firefighters said two 18-year-old men from Fishers and a 15-year-old girl from Indianapolis were out and about exploring old buildings.
One of those buildings was located at the corner of East 22nd and North Meridian streets. Little did they know, the building had significant interior structural integrity issues. The Indianapolis Fire Department said the building had doors opened by vandals, previous fires, collapsed floors and a spongy roof.
Within minutes of them going inside, the stairs to the basement collapsed. One of the men and the girl tumbled through, falling about 10 feet. The other man wasn't on the stairs when they collapsed.
GALLERY: Firefighters rescue teens that fell through floor of near north side building
The man and the girl trapped in the basement had no way out and one of the two had a possible ankle injury, so they called 911 to ask for help.
Firefighters were called there at around 2:30 p.m. They had to force entry to get inside the building.
IFD said firefighters used a ground ladder to reach the basement, then they were able to help the teens out of the basement.
The man was checked and treated at the scene, but declined to go by ambulance to the hospital.
The girl was also checked at the scene and released to her parents.
Firefighters later discovered the building's structural issues and requested that Building and Neighborhood services re-inspect it and flag it as a hazard for future dispatches to the building.