Downtown LA

Watch: Firefighters rescue man stuck in downtown LA building's chimney

Video showed the man lowering himself into the chimney from the rooftop of a four-story building.

NBC Universal, Inc.

Firefighters rescued a man who was stuck for nearly two hours Sunday inside the chimney of a four-story downtown Los Angeles apartment building.

Video showed the man climbing down into the chimney like Santa Claus from the rooftop of the building in the 1300 block of South Flower Street. He appeared to hold onto a metal bar above the chimney before losing his grip.

Firefighters used cameras to pinpoint the man's location in the chimney, which extended through all four stories of the building. LAFD Urban Search and Rescue crews broke through an interior wall and entered the shaft below the man. Rescuers were able to slide the man down the chimney to safety.

The man, believed about 25 years old, was freed at about 10 p.m. He was hospitalized with moderate injuries.

Details about why the man entered the chimney were not immediately available.

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