The Seminole Fire Department’s Fire Technical Rescue Team responded to a mutual aid request from the Holdenville Fire Department Monday afternoon. This assistance was requested after a trench collapsed on an employee of a local contractor while he was working on a sewer line.

The Seminole team joined other emergency responders in assisting the Holdenville Fire Department, including the Ada Fire Technical Rescue Team, Hughes County EMS, Hughes County Emergency Management, Hughes County Sheriff’s Office, Holdenville Police Department, and Wewoka Fire Department, in the attempted rescue. Unfortunately, the victim, Jose Valenzuela of Holdenville, did not survive the accident.

The Holdenville Fire Department explains that this call presented crews with several different obstacles due to the size, shape, and depth of the trench. It presented numerous hazards for first responders and demanded slow and time-consuming attempts. Trench rescue takes a specially trained crew with special equipment, which Seminole and Ada Fire Departments provided.

A news release from Holdenville Chief of Police Kyle Lening states that on the afternoon of April 10, at approximately 3:46 p.m. Hughes County Central Dispatch received a call of a trench collapse near the intersection of Vorhees and 3rd Street in Holdenville. A local contractor was replacing a compromised sewer line at a residence when the trench the crew was working in collapsed, trapping one of the workers in the bottom of the trench.

Emergency crews from multiple agencies responded to the scene including trench and excavation rescue teams from Seminole and Ada Fire Departments.

At approximately 11:20 p.m. crews were able to recover the body of Jose Valenzuela of Holdenville.

The Police report states that the investigation is still ongoing and has been turned over to OSHA and the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office for further investigation in coordination with the Holdenville Police Department.

Further updates will be provided once those investigations are complete, the report concludes.

“The Seminole Fire Department extends our sincere condolences to the victim’s family and friends during this difficult time,” their Facebook page shares. “We are proud of the efforts made by all of our team members, as well as the employees of the Ada, Wewoka, and Holdenville Fire Departments.”

The Seminole Fire Department also used this opportunity to remind everyone of the importance of safety and preparedness when it comes to construction, excavation, and other activities involving trenches. Always mind your surroundings and do everything in your power to ensure your own safety, and the safety of those around you.