BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A man was rescued from a fireplace chimney by the Kern County Fire Department (KCFD) on Tues, Jan 18.
According to the KCFD, Kern County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) deputies discovered a man stuck in a chimney near the 1700 block of Camino Primavera shortly before 11 p.m. The KCSO then requested the KCFD's help with removing the man from the chimney.
After firefighters confirmed that the man was alive and conscious, they then had the KCFD's Station 52 Search and Rescue team help remove the man from the damper of the chimney.
"Firefighters pulled a large fireplace insert out of the way and were able to just touch the bottom of the victim, just above the damper," said an incident narrative report provided by the KCFD website. "Salvage covers were placed inside the room and on the floor to help protect the owner's furniture and a vent fan was used to help evacuate the dust and soot. Firefighters then carefully cut a portion of the damper away. Additionally, chimney bricks inside were removed in order to increase the width of the opening, allowing for the victim to be removed."
An engineer from Station 41 also helped with the extraction by staying on the roof of the house to communicate with the man.
Once removed from the fireplace, the man was taken to a local hospital.
