OC Firefighters Spend Hours Freeing Man Stuck In Chimney

LAKE FOREST (CBSLA.com) — It took a team of Orange County firefighters more than two hours to free a 32-year-old man trapped in a chimney Monday morning.

KNX 1070's Mike Landa reports the unidentified man got stuck just after 3 a.m. on Belgreen Place in Lake Forest.

Orange County Fire Authority Captain Steve Concialdi said the man got stuck up to his shoulders about 10 feet down the chimney - and every time the man exhaled, he slid further down.

"He started screaming and yelling, and inside there was a mom, her daughter, and the daughter's two kids inside, so they called 911," Concialdi said.

About 25 firefighters - including two urban search and rescue teams - were called to the scene, according to Concialdi.

The man was finally lifted out in a harness just before 5 a.m. and taken to a hospital.

Sheriff's officials say he was trying to get into his uncle's home and didn't break any laws.