This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A harrowing overnight rescue ended well for a man who became stranded while climbing a rock quarry cliff near the Utah State Capitol.
Salt Lake City Fire Department spokesman Jasen Asay said a 911 call came in from a Tesoro gas station employee at 2:02 a.m. Friday. The employee said he could hear a man shouting for help from the cliffside near the station, 474 W. 900 North.
Firefighters reportedly used spotlights to locate the 23-year-old man, who was about 150-200 feet up the cliff just off Victory Road, and then rappelled down from above, secured him in a harness and helmet and lowered him to safety.
Paramedics checked him out and released him about 3:30 a.m. after finding no serious injuries.
The scene had been completely cleared by 4:30 a.m., SLCFD reported.
The quarry site is private property, but it will be up to its owners whether the man will be accused of trespassing.
SLCFD officials indicated they were not inclined to seek compensation from the man for the rescue effort, which ultimately involved about 30 firefighters. A helicopter also was on standby during the incident.
"We haven't decided for sure if we will do a cost-recovery for this rescue. Those are usually reserved to incidents where there was a large amount of negligence on the patient's part," Asay said.
Twitter: @remims