Victoria Fire Fighters responded after a person fell through a trap door while shopping in a downtown Victoria store.
The female shopper fell through an opened trap door 3 metres into the basement where she landed on concrete.
Vic Fire Battalion Chief Mark Robertson says 11 firefighters responded; 3 lowered into the hole and managed to stabilize the woman before lifting her to safety. "They set up a tripod with a pulley system over the hole and then they hoisted her out and the care was given over to BC Ambulance that was standing by."
Robertson says the female was talking with his crew and paramedics before being taken to the hospital.
"A lot of the older buildings in Victoria you do have basements and full crawl spaces but I've been here 25 years and I've never seen anything quite like this."
No word on the extent of the females injuries or the name and location of the store.
VicPd is investigating.