After 6-Hour Rescue Effort, Firefighters Free Man Buried In Trench: LAFD

LOS ANGELES, CA — It took rescuers six hours working in oppressive heat to free a man who became buried up to his chest in deep trench at a construction site in Los Feliz Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Firefighters responded to the site on Catalina Street, located in the hills south of Griffith Park and west of Vermont Avenue, just before 11 a.m. There they found a worker who was trapped up to his shoulders in an 8-foot deep trench behind a hillside home, the LAFD said.

The trench was located immediately adjacent to a load-bearing retaining wall, firefighters said. Aerial footage from KTLA showed that the wall and trench appeared to be part of an active construction site behind the home, with the man buried in a small space.

The worker remained conscious and alert as crews worked to stabilize the wall and trench. Specially trained responders, equipped to deal with confined-space operations, worked to free the man, the LAFD said.

Just before 5 p.m., firefighters reported that the man had been freed by crews who worked in rotation for six hours as part of the effort.

The man was in "serious" condition and was expected to be transported to a regional trauma center, the LAFD said.

Additionally, two LAFD rescuers were treated at the scene for heat exhaustion. One was later taken to a local hospital for further medical evaluation.

Attention from news helicopters around noon prompted firefighters to request the aircraft distance themselves from the area, as "noise from media aircraft is actively hindering the ability of responders to communicate with the patient and one another." Authorities shortly after thanked pilots for their compliance.