Locked-out teen tried to enter his house like Santa Claus. It went poorly
West Pierce Fire & Rescue crews arrived at a house in Steilacoom on Monday for an atypical rescue — a person wedged inside a chimney.
It wasn’t Old Saint Nick.
Instead, it was a 13-year-old boy who tried an unconventional entrance after being locked out of his house near 111 Street Southwest and 114th Avenue Southwest, West Pierce public information officer Emily Tencer to The News Tribune.
Around 8:30 p.m. Monday, the teen lowered himself into the narrow chimney, which measured 9-by-13 inches.
After making it about 12 to 15 feet down the chimney, he found himself squeezed and unable to move in the tight space.
Though the 13-year-old’s arms were pinned to his sides, he was able to use his Apple Watch to call his mother, Tencer said.
By the time his mother arrived and called the fire department, he had been wedged in the chimney for 38 minutes, completely alone. Upon arrival, firefighters provided the teen with protective gear as they began to chisel a hole in the wall.
Brick by brick, they slowly removed pieces of the chimney until there was enough space for the boy to climb out. The teen emerged covered in dust but uninjured. It took about one hour and 10 minutes to get him out.
The battalion chief on the scene said that he had never seen an incident like it before, Tencer said.
“It was a rare call for sure, but it went very smoothly,” Tencer said.
