A rescue at California’s Camp Edison is a stark reminder that when it comes to the campground vault toilets, no pair of sunglasses is worth a rescue mission. Vault toilets can be deadly—here’s what to do if you drop your valuables.
Unlike traditional pit toilets that use an unlined hole, vault toilets use a sealed, watertight underground container that can trap dangerous gases (Photo: Andres Jacobi/Getty Images)
Published June 23, 2026 11:35AM
A camper in California is lucky to be alive after he fell into a campground toilet chasing a pair of sunglasses.
The man, whose name and age have not been released, spent around 15 minutes trapped inside the holding tank of a vault toilet on June 20. Authorities told Outside the man dropped his shades into the latrine—and into the chemical solution—at Camp Edison Shaver Lake, a popular campground in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.
In an attempt to retrieve them, the man accidentally fell several feet into the hole and began yelling for help, Tony Botti with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office told Outside.
“This is a facility with no plumbing, so it essentially operates like a porta-potty,” Bottie said, adding that deputies with the sheriff’s office and Cal Fire firefighters quickly responded and pulled the man out to safety within five minutes of arriving on scene. “Due to his exposure to urine, fecal matter, and chemicals, he was put through a decontamination process. He was then able to walk away, otherwise unharmed.”
Being stuck in a campground toilet is no laughing matter.
“He could have lost consciousness while in there and never been seen again,” Gary Couch, a fire captain with responding agency Cal Fire, told Outside. “If something falls in there, just let it go.”
A poorly vented facility could fill with methane and hydrogen sulfide, both of which are harmful to inhale, according to experts.
A Vault Toilet Fall Can Quickly Turn Deadly
On average, a vault toilet is about four to five feet deep. Unlike traditional pit toilets that use an unlined hole, the U.S. Forest Service writes that vault toilets use a sealed, watertight underground container that can trap dangerous gases.
In 2022, a woman fell eight feet down a trailhead toilet trying to save her phone. As Outside wrote at the time, there’s a lingering debate about whether you can die while stranded in this type of latrine.
The National Association of Safety Professionals, a workplace advocacy nonprofit, writes that confined spaces containing waste can produce hydrogen sulfide. This colorless gas often smells of rotten eggs and forms naturally when organic matter in sewage or waste breaks down. In tight spaces, it can accumulate to deadly concentrations in minutes, which can cause a person to pass out or asphyxiate.
People also throw things like syringes, broken glass, and garbage into campground toilets, which makes falling into them not only gross but potentially dangerous. Plus, fecal matter can contain harmful pathogens like norovirus, rotavirus, and Hepatitis A, meaning any accidentally ingested poo can quickly turn into an infection. Exposure to feces through the eyes or nose can also cause viral infections like pink eye.
A pair of sunglasses is probably not worth the risk.
Whatever Falls Into a Vault Toilet Belongs to the Campground Now
Because vault toilets are airtight units, they can trap dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide and methane. A person could pass out or suffocate if they fell or climbed into one. If you drop something into a vault toilet, experts say to leave it there.
“Write the item off. It’s contaminated, that’s human waste—absolutely not. I would not recommend jumping in there for anything,” Couch said.
Deep enclosures, like those in campground vault toilets, can make it nearly impossible for someone to rescue themselves if they fall in, Botti added.
“That, coupled with exposure to chemicals, can ultimately turn fatal,” he said. “If you drop something inside, consider it a loss. Always secure or remove valuables like a phone, wallet, or jewelry before getting close to the hole of one of these toilets.”
If you drop something into a vault toilet, experts say it’s best to leave the item be.
- Do not climb in.
- Do not fish for the dropped item with makeshift tools if it compromises your balance.
- Notify the camp host or park rangers. They sometimes have specific tools or may have to write off the item as a biohazard loss.
