Escambia County officials warn about dangers of digging holes on the beach

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — Escambia County emergency officials are issuing warnings about the risks of digging deep holes in the sand.

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The warning comes after a young girl died when a hole she was digging collapsed on her on a beach in South Florida, according to previous reporting.

According to reports, the 7-year-old girl died after digging a hole that was about 5 or 6 feet deep. Rescuers arrived and used support boards to prevent the sand from collapsing, but it was too late since they did not know how long she had been buried.

Scott Averill with Escambia County Fire Rescue noted that due to response times for first responders, digging a deep hole could be a death sentence.

“Response times from the fire department first responders to an event could be 10, 15 minutes depending on the location,” Averill said. “That could mean the difference between life and death for a victim that’s submerged under sand.”

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Averill added, “It’s the large holes that we want to prevent children from digging that could possibly collapse on them.”

In addition to the risks of holes collapsing, Water Safety Chief Dave Greenwood said deep holes can pose a danger to emergency responders and wildlife.

“One of our emergency vehicles could strike the hole, injuring the operator,” Greenwood said. “Sea turtles come ashore at night to lay their eggs. They can get stuck in a deep hole and perish.”

To prevent the dangers, Greenwood said, “One of the things that we emphasize is dig it very shallow and fill it in when you’re done.”

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For more information on beach safety and rules, visit the Pensacola Beach Lifeguards’ website.

“We want to keep you safe but we want you to have a really good time when you visit here at the beach,” Escambia County Emergency Manager Travis Tompkins said.

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