Six Hour LAFD Rescue Effort in Scorching Heat Saves Man Trapped in Los Feliz Trench

A marathon rescue effort by Los Angeles firefighters in scorching hot weather proved successful Thursday, saving the life of a worker who had become badly trapped in a trench at a residential construction site.

The Los Angeles Fire Department received a 9-1-1 call at 10:49 AM on September 5, 2024, reporting that a construction worker had become trapped in an excavation in the rear yard of a hillside home at 2333 North Catalina Street in Los Feliz.

LAFD responders arrived quickly to find the 24-year-old patient conscious and alert, determining his lower body was severely trapped by a large volume of loose gravel and unstable soil - to a point at or above his waist, within the three foot wide by eight foot deep trench adjacent to a load-bearing concrete casement at the rear of the residence.

Those first arriving Firefighters and Paramedics worked quickly to stabilize the construction site and perimeter of the trench to prevent further harm, as they performed an initial medical assessment of the patient. Additional LAFD responders specially trained and equipped to manage confined space operations soon joined them to commence the high risk rescue within the trench.

With the prospect of an extended rescue operation in ambient temperatures near 104° Fahrenheit, additional LAFD Urban Search and Rescue trained responders and support personnel were summoned to the scene, the dozens of specially skilled Fire Department personnel working non-stop to shore the trench and remove tons of earth and gravel with the aid of a pair of vacuum trucks from the City's Department of Public Works, Bureau of L.A. Sanitation and Environment.

The aforementioned were joined by LAFD Advanced Care Providers - Nurse Practitioners and the Department's Medical Director, an Emergency Physician, to assure the trapped man's medical care amidst the oppressive heat and harrowing circumstances.

Working non-stop in ten minute rotational cycles for nearly six hours, the dozens of firefighters were able to defy the sloughing soil to safely extract the man from the trench. Though his only outward injury appeared to be a fractured left ankle, the pervasive pressure of soil within the trench led to medical concerns that placed him in serious but stable condition on arrival at a regional trauma center.

During their hours-long rescue endeavors in and near the trench, two firefighters suffered heat exhaustion. Both men received prompe

No other injuries were reported.

The State of California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) is investigating the circumstances surrounding the trench collapse.