CLAREMORE, Okla. — The Claremore Police Department is issuing a stern warning for everyone to stay out of the city's underground tunnels after a recent YouTube video showed someone exploring the hidden spots.
Police followed up the video with a public safety post on social media to let the community know about the dangers of the century-old tunnels. The tunnels contain toxic gases, have low oxygen levels, and lack cell service if someone gets stuck.
The areas are off-limits, and trespassing is a punishable offense. Claremore police told 2 News it is not worth risking your life for a picture or video in or around the tunnels.
The dangers of the city's drainage system are tied to a tragedy from over a decade ago. Capt. Jason Farley, a Claremore firefighter, died when he got swept away in a storm drain while assisting people in a flooding housing addition.
Neoma Inman remembers the incident.
“That was a very sad thing. They have put a guard up around that one now. I don’t think it's very safe. First of all, it’s water in that tunnel that sometimes is stagnant and has fish, snakes, and other things in it. So I don’t think it's very safe for people to go down there. Besides the walls, they would collapse down there; it would be very dangerous,” Inman said.
Inman told 2 News she always sees a lot of people playing by the tunnels and has reported them to the police. She said she once saw a group of kids in boats floating on the water near the tunnels, which could have ended badly.
Inman said she saw someone in the tunnels as recently as two months ago.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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