PHOENIX — Phoenix firefighters rescued a man from inside a chimney early Friday morning. The man had gotten wedged deep inside the chimney, and first responders had to breach a wall to get him out.
Firefighters were called to a home near 39th Avenue and Camelback Road to find the man, 47-year-old Ervin Ortiz Guzman, stuck in the throat of the chimney, just above the damper.
Officials said officers responded to the scene for a judicial interference call and found Guzman in the chimney.
Crews were able to get a harness and rope to Guzman to stop him from slipping further down the chimney. He was able to speak with firefighters the whole time and was provided water during the rescue, fire department officials said.
After they got him out, he was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
"Chimney flues are relatively small and not capable of having a human go in and out of them," said Phoenix Fire Captain Kimberly Ragsdale. She added that the brick chimney made for a difficult rescue, as crews had to break through an interior wall to get to the man.
Additional investigation revealed Guzman was the subject of a court order and was not supposed to be at the residence, Phoenix police said. Authorities also said once Guzman is released from the hospital, he will be booked and could face multiple charges from the incident.
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