In 100-degree heat, Los Angeles firefighters try to rescue worker trapped in Los Feliz trench
Amid an intense heat wave, firefighters are trying to rescue a worker who is trapped in a trench in Los Feliz, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The worker is conscious and alert but is trapped by soil that's up to his chest, inside an 8-foot deep trench in the back of a hillside home in the 2300 block of Catalina Street, LAFD said in an alert at 11:15 a.m. Thursday. As he remained trapped underground, temperatures in the Los Angeles neighborhood were about 100 degrees at the time, according to the National Weather Service.
While the man was breathing and communicating with rescuers, there were still concerns he could face other injuries as a result of the extreme weather and the fact that the dirt was up to his chest, according to LAFD Captain Erik Scott.
"So as you can imagine, when you have all of that dirt come around you, that creates a ton of pressure and that could create what we call crush injuries," Scott said. "So we're very worried about not only just freeing this individual, but once we get them out, what sort of medical emergencies in addition to the heat are they going to have."
Firefighters were at the scene for more than three hours, with authorities saying they were still trying to rescue the man at 2:20 p.m.
Earlier, at 11:18 a.m., aerial footage showed at least a dozen firefighters shoveling up dirt at the construction site, trying to reach the man. He was provided with an oxygen mask and firefighters had managed to stabilize the trench's walls, authorities said. LAFD first responders who specialize in working in confined spaces were at the scene.
More than an hour later, just after 1 p.m., firefighters were still trying to rescue the man — sending down a hose to pull out dirt from the trench. Scott said firefighters carried the hose 200 feet down a hillside amid the scorching heat while a vacuum truck was also sucking dirt out of the trench.
"It is very hot, very humid here. This is arduous work," Scott said. "But this has been amazing to watch — truly, your Los Angeles City Fire Department Urban Search & Rescue team are the best of the best. This is a low-frequency, high-risk type incident that they've trained for."
The rescue mission was being carried out amid an intense heat wave with the temperature in Los Feliz about 96 degrees at 11:20 a.m. before rising to 100 degrees at 1 p.m.
At the time, the National Weather Service was warning of weather-related risks, advising workers at job and construction sites to try keeping hydrated and stay in the shade whenever possible due to the extreme temperatures.
Check back for updates to this developing story.