Phoenix, Arizona: Man Pulled From Six Foot Backyard Sinkhole After Heavy Rain
Phoenix Fire technical rescue crews stabilized a pickup truck that had slipped into the hole, sent a technician down, and pulled the man out near 24th Street and Thomas Road. He was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
Key points
- Phoenix Fire Department technical rescue crews pulled a man out of a backyard sinkhole about six feet deep at a home near 24th Street and Thomas Road on Sunday afternoon, after the ground gave way…
- Crews arrived around 3 p.m. on November 1 at the home, where the man had fallen into the hole and could not climb out on his own, Phoenix Fire Captain DJ Lee said.
- The fire department first stabilized the pickup truck so it would not slide any further into the hole, Lee said.
Phoenix Fire Department technical rescue crews pulled a man out of a backyard sinkhole about six feet deep at a home near 24th Street and Thomas Road on Sunday afternoon, after the ground gave way under him and a pickup truck during a weekend of heavy rain in Phoenix, Arizona.
Crews arrived around 3 p.m. on November 1 at the home, where the man had fallen into the hole and could not climb out on his own, Phoenix Fire Captain DJ Lee said. The man had an injury to his chest area, FOX 10 Phoenix reported. A pickup truck also fell into the hole as the ground gave way and was left partially inside it, Lee said.
Crews stabilized the truck first
The fire department first stabilized the pickup truck so it would not slide any further into the hole, Lee said. A rescue technician was then sent down into the sinkhole to reach the man and pull him out, FOX 10 reported. Once he was out, the man was taken to a nearby hospital. He was last reported to be in stable condition, Lee said. No firefighters were reported injured.
The man has not been named in the reports, and the reports do not say what he was doing in the backyard when the ground opened.
Rain is the likely cause, fire captain says
On Monday, November 2, Lee said the sinkhole was likely caused by the heavy rains that fell in Phoenix on November 1, the Arizona Republic reported. FOX 10, reporting on Sunday, said it was not yet known what caused the hole to open up.
There was no update on the man's condition on November 2, the Republic reported. No one answered the door at the home, and police tape was strung up over a portion of the backyard.
A wet weekend in Phoenix
The sinkhole opened on one of the wettest weekends Phoenix has seen this fall. Metro Phoenix saw rain totals up to three inches over the Halloween weekend, and Phoenix Sky Harbor recorded 1.58 inches, the Arizona Republic reported on Monday. Higher totals fell northeast of the city and in the foothills, and flood warnings stayed in effect across northern and south central Arizona into Monday before calmer weather returned.
Ground that takes that much rain in a short time can soften and shift, and Phoenix firefighters spent the weekend answering storm calls across the city. At this home near 24th Street and Thomas Road, the call ended with the man in a hospital and a truck still sitting at the edge of a six foot hole in the backyard.
Timeline
- Nov 1, 2026Heavy rain falls across Phoenix, with 1.58 inches recorded at Phoenix Sky Harbor and totals up to three inches in parts of the metro area.
- Nov 1, 2026Around 3 p.m., Phoenix Fire technical rescue crews respond to a home near 24th Street and Thomas Road, where a man and a pickup truck have fallen into a backyard sinkhole about six feet deep. Crews stabilize the truck, send a technician down and pull the man out. He is taken to a hospital in stable condition with a chest injury.
- Nov 2, 2026Phoenix Fire Captain DJ Lee says the sinkhole was likely caused by the heavy rains of November 1. There is no update on the man's condition, and police tape is strung up over part of the backyard.