A homeless man in South Los Angeles narrowly escaped a terrifying fate when city crews moved to weld shut a storm-drain manhole where had been living. The location has been a focal point this week as the city looks to address people using the sewer system as shelter.

Luis Jimenez, in his late 20s, had been living intermittently in the underground tunnels near West 88th Street and South Grand Avenue.

Earlier this week a woman was seen emerging from the drain, a dog house was apparently used to conceal the opening.

Workers were there Wednesday to permanently seal the manhole, a known refuge for unhoused residents, when they heard noises from below.

Jimenez emerged moments before it was welded shut, clutching a few belongings. He told reporters he sometimes stays underground for one or two nights at a time, seeking safety from the streets.

$2.6 billion in taxpayer cash has already been spent in the city and county since 2020 to buy and renovate hotels, motels and dorms for LA’s huge unhoused population, the California Post has reported.

City crews immediately inspected nearby catch basins to ensure no one else remained inside before sealing the manhole.

Officials said those displaced by Wednesday’s manhole cleanup were offered resources and temporary assistance, part of ongoing outreach efforts aimed at connecting unhoused residents with services.

The episode is part of a larger trend documented in viral videos and local reports showing people living in sewers and storm drains across The City of Angels.

While the tunnels provide temporary refuge, they carry serious structural and sanitation risks, including confined spaces, potential flooding and exposure to waste and disease.

Neighbors have long expresses frustration, noting that underground encampments and nearby street camps have been a problem for years, raising both safety and health concerns.

City officials say cleanup efforts are always paired with outreach programs, but the growing scale of homeless in LA has made these measures a constant challenge.

The story underscores the stark reality facing the city’s homeless population: with limited safe and stable housing options, some are forced to seek shelter in dangerous, extreme places just to survive another day.

Jimenez’s narrow escape is a dramatic reminder of both the human cost of homelessness and the complex balancing act the city faces between public safety and the urgent needs of its most vulnerable residents.