An Oregon woman survived up to three days trapped inside a septic tank after falling into it during maintenance work, according to reporters at KPTV News.

Richard Anderson, Estacada Rural Fire District chief, tells the news organization that the woman’s family hadn’t heard from her over the course of a weekend, so they went to check on her. That’s when her daughter found her inside the tank in the front yard.

“In my entire career, I can't imagine another time this has happened,” Anderson tells KPTV.

A rescue team was called in to assist, and they had the woman out of the tank within half an hour. Firefighters found her about three feet underground in sewage. She was alert enough to communicate with rescuers and grab ahold of a D-handle to get pulled to safety.

First responders say she appeared uninjured, but as a precaution, they flew her to a local hospital to examine her for possible infections or complications due to low oxygen.

Anderson tells the news station she’d been doing maintenance work on her septic system, which had the tank exposed. “There was a tractor on site, a hole had been dug to expose the tank, and it looked like she had fallen through the lid. But we’re a little bit unsure on how she actually ended up down into the tank.”