3 children, 2 dogs rescued from storm drainage system in Colorado, officials say

(SECURITY-WIDEFIELD, Colo.) — Three children and two dogs were rescued from a storm drainage system in Colorado, according to fire officials.

Officials responded to a neighborhood in Security-Widefield, Colorado, searching for “three children and two dogs lost in the maze of the underground storm drainage system” over the weekend, the Security Fire Department said in a statement on Monday.

After an “extensive search,” the children and the dogs were located and were extracted through a manhole in the street “more than a half-mile from where they had entered,” officials said.

“Kids may think it would be fun to explore storm drains looking for those ninja turtles, but it can be very dangerous and even deadly,” the fire department said.

Even though the children and canines were safely removed, officials emphasized the dangers of being in a storm drainage system.

“Getting lost underground, hypothermia, rapid weather change flooding in drainage system (drowning risk), oxygen deficiency, toxic gases (such as hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide) and of course critters like rattlesnakes,” the fire department said.

The fire department encouraged parents to talk to their children about “the dangers of playing in and around” storm drains.

Officials were not clear why the children and the dogs were exploring the storm drains or how long they were lost.