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<\/p>\nMark H. Bickel, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News<\/p>\n
Updated Sat, April 18, 2026 at 10:11 PM UTC<\/p>\n
The Cape Coral Fire Department<\/a> received an unusual call on Friday (April 17).<\/p>\n According to a Facebook post by the department, firefighters were called to assist with a search for a man who had been seen entering a storm drain on NE 10th Terrace behind a Publix shopping center<\/a>.<\/p>\n As it turns around, crawling down into a drain to look for someone requires special attention, equipment, like a thermal imaging camera, and firefighters who are qualified and trained to do it, in this case a diver.<\/p>\n Speaking of drains: How were Cape Coral’s canals dug? 5 things to know<\/a><\/p>\n Cape Coral firefighters search for man in storm drain<\/p>\n Here’s how the elaborate searach unfolded:<\/p>\n The Facebook post said a diver from Engine 4 climbed into the storm drain but could not enter the pipe due to dangerous conditions.<\/p>\n A city vacuum truck was then called to remove the water from the pipe.<\/p>\n Technical rescue squads from South Trail, Iona McGregor, and Estero responded ready to perform a confined space rescue once the pipe was empty of water.<\/p>\n When the water level dropped, the CCFD diver was able to enter the storm drain again and see into the pipe.<\/p>\n Using a flashlight and a thermal imagining camera, he looked for a person but found no one. He repeated this from the storm drain where the pipe ended as well, and, again, no one was seen.<\/p>\n The scene was cleared around 6:30pm with, fortunately, no one being found in the storm drain.<\/p>\n Please support local community journalism and stay informed about Southwest Florida news by subscribing to\u00a0The News-Press<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Naples Daily News<\/a>; download the free\u00a0News-Press<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Naples Daily News app<\/a>, and sign up for daily briefing email newsletter, food & dining and growth & development newsletters\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n