Thanksgiving Day Rescue Highlights Seamless Multi-Agency Response in Montgomery County

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Just before 5:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, units from The Woodlands Fire Department (TWFD), South Montgomery County Fire Department, and the Montgomery County Hospital District (MCHD) responded to an urgent call reporting a child trapped after a sand collapse along the Spring Creek trail near the end of Pruitt Road.

Upon arrival, firefighters, medics, and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office deputies were directed to a sand bar on the west bank of Panther Creek, just south of the pedestrian bridge. There, a 12-year-old girl on a family outing had been completely buried when a large hole she was digging in the sand suddenly collapsed.

The girl's father acted immediately, clearing sand from around her face to allow her to breathe until first responders could reach her.

Emergency crews arrived to find the child with only her face and head visible above the sand. Working swiftly, responders shored up the unstable area and carefully removed sand until the girl could be safely extricated. After evaluation by MCHD medics, she was released to her parents, who declined transport to the hospital.

This successful rescue—executed through rapid coordination among four agencies—turned what could have been a tragic holiday incident into a Thanksgiving story the family will remember for decades.

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