Topsfield Man Rescued After Floor Collapses Under Him

TOPSFIELD (CBS) -- Firefighters pulled an injured man out of a hole that opened up after the concrete floor of his screened-in porch collapsed Monday evening.

The Topsfield Fire Department said the man, who called 911 himself after the floor collapsed around 5:49 p.m., was trapped in the hole, which was about 12 feet wide and 12 feet deep.

Because hundreds of pounds of concrete were hanging above him, firefighters had to be carefully lowered into the hole to pull the man out.

"Time was of the essence, we evaluated the risks against the benefits of entering the collapse zone to remove the patient," Topsfield Fire Chief Ronald Giovannacci said in a release. "It was appropriate to put ourselves into a dangerous area to quickly remove the victim from the danger."

It took about 20 minutes for rescuers to secure the man, and he was then pulled up a ladder via a rope and basket.

Chief Giovannacci said the victim suffered only minor injuries, and was lucky to have had his phone with him.

A building inspector was notified of the unsafe collapse area.