ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — What was once the cornerstone of America’s nuclear deterrence during the Cold War now appears to be drawing repeated rescue calls to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.
For the second time in a week, deputies rescued a person who became trapped 60 feet down an abandoned missile silo near the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds early Tuesday morning.
The sheriff's office said that if it weren’t for deputies’ “proactive” overnight patrols of the restricted area, a 28-year-old woman might have waited hours for rescue.
No injuries were reported.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were checking the area for suspicious activity when they came upon two parked vehicles near the gate of the abandoned silo.
While checking the property on foot, they heard voices coming from inside an underground shaft. Those voices belonged to a 19-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman, the sheriff's office said.
Deputies said the man was able to climb out using a rope ladder, but the woman was unable to make it back up. Sable Altura Fire Rescue responded and safely rescued her.
According to the sheriff's office, both were cited for second-degree criminal trespass.
The incident was not an isolated one.
Authorities said it was the second rescue at the site in the past week, and at least the fourth from an abandoned missile silo in Arapahoe County since 2024 — leaving the questions as to why and how people are continuing to access the site unanswered.
The sheriff's office warned that abandoned underground facilities and other restricted properties pose serious safety risks.
Missile silos were built during the Cold War to house intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and ensure they could withstand a nuclear first strike, allowing for a retaliatory launch.
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