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Rescue Workers Find Man's Body In Rubble

Kealey Bultena
/
SDPB
Fire Chief Jim Sideras walks back to the scene of a collapsed building after confirming Sioux Falls Fire Rescue crews found a man's body.

Sioux Falls search and rescue crews recovered the body of a man trapped in a collapsed building. Fire Rescue chief Jim Sideras says crews found the body in a void just before 6 p.m. Friday. 

Credit Kealey Bultena / SDPB
/
SDPB
SFFR Chief Jim Sideras approaches media members to inform them crews found a body in the remnants of the building.

The frenzy in Downtown Sioux Falls slowed as rescue efforts changed to recovery work. Fire fighters stood unmoving near a response vehicle. They watched silently as several of the colleagues worked calmly digging through the rubble pile and eventually removing a man's body from the wreckage. 

Fire Chief Jim Sideras says search crews narrowed down the area where they hoped to find the man, and they used scent dogs. He says the structure collapsed around the man, and he died. 

"We're always hoping for the best, plan for the worst, and kind of deal with the cards that were dealt, and this just wasn't... We were hoping for the best, and it just didn't work out," Sideras says. "So our firefighters give it their all. They're trying as much as they could, and this isn't quite the ending that we wanted to have."

Earlier in the day, crews located and rescued a 22-year-old woman from underneath the debris. She lived in a home above the commercial space on ground level, which was under construction. 

Credit Kealey Bultena / SDPB
/
SDPB
Sioux Falls

Kealey Bultena grew up in South Dakota, where her grandparents took advantage of the state’s agriculture at nap time, tricking her into car rides to “go see cows.” Rarely did she stay awake long enough to see the livestock, but now she writes stories about the animals – and the legislature and education and much more. Kealey worked in television for four years while attending the University of South Dakota. She started interning with South Dakota Public Broadcasting in September 2010 and accepted a position with television in 2011. Now Kealey is the radio news producer stationed in Sioux Falls. As a multi-media journalist, Kealey prides herself on the diversity of the stories she tells and the impact her work has on people across the state. Kealey is always searching for new ideas. Let her know of a great story! Find her on Facebook and twitter (@KealeySDPB).
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