An Oak Harbor man survived a 40-foot fall down an abandoned well Saturday morning on his property on Southwest Rockrose Drive.

The man saw a depression in his yard and decided to investigate. As he dug into the ground with a shovel, the ground collapsed and he tumbled down the hole, said Oak Harbor Fire Chief Ray Merrill.

The space was tight enough that the man became wedged partway down the shaft and didn’t fall to the bottom.

When firefighters arrived, the man was conscious. They sent down a harness to him and a safety line, so he wouldn’t slip farther down the shaft, Merrill said.

“We couldn’t put two men down with him,” he said.

Firefighters then extended the ladder truck over the well and used a pulley system to gently ease the man out. He was transported to Whidbey General Hospital.

The man’s home is in a newer development across the street from Fort Nugent Park. The chief said he’s heard from an Oak Harbor old timer that the land used to be a farm and there may be other abandoned wells in the area.