In a notable event in Downtown Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Fire Department conducted a technical rescue operation after a man was found trapped inside a chimney of an abandoned four-story apartment building. The incident, which occurred on June 16, was reported under incident number 1492. The first emergency crew arrived at the site, located at 1349 S Flower St, by 7:55 PM, where they discovered the man stuck near the second floor of the chimney.

LAFD Alert-Update #DowntownLA Technical Rescue 1349 S Flower St MAP: https://t.co/c0LWgtHUxH FS10; DETAILS: https://t.co/4W2UZZliHS

— LAFD 🔥 (@LAFD) June 17, 2024

According to the initial LAFD alert, firefighters developed a plan to breach the chimney from inside the building, to rescue the man. This incident took place in Council District 14, with multiple crews from different battalions and stations responding to the emergency, including Battalion Chief 11, Battalion Chief 701, and Fire Station 10.

The situation later graduated to a more complex rescue operation. A follow-up report by the LAFD provided by 10:08 PM detailed that firefighters had to use specialized cameras to locate the man accurately, before breaching the wall. Urban Search and Rescue teams then utilized electric-powered tools — to prevent carbon monoxide buildup inside the premises — and created an opening below where the man was trapped to safely slide him down.

The man, believed to be approximately 25 years old, was retrieved from the chimney and transported to a local hospital with moderate injuries, as per the LAFD update. The nature of the circumstances under which he became trapped remains, unclear at the time of the report. Fire Station 10; Battalion 1; and the Central Bureau were part of a larger contingent of LAFD units that contributed to the successful rescue effort.