A man is in hospital after spending close to 14 hours trapped in a narrow rock crevice in a conservation park north of Toronto.

Rescuers successfully freed the man from a cave in Singhampton, Ont., around 10 a.m. Sunday, after a complex overnight rescue.

Firefighters from Clearview County, Ont., first arrived on scene at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, after hikers in the area heard the man’s calls for help and called 911.

However, initial crews were unable to reach the man, who was trapped about 12 metres deep and six metres over from the entrance of the cave, Toronto Deputy Fire Chief Matt Pegg said.

Tactical crews from Barrie, Ont., and Toronto eventually arrived and sent members down into the cave in inverted harnesses. From there, they used electric- and air-powered tools to chip through rock, creating an opening wide enough to feed a harness to the man.

Throughout the night, teams also lowered food, water and heat packs to the man, who Pegg said was conscious and alert, but cold.

Crews also lowered airbags to provide protective cushioning in case of falling rocks.

Dave Dunt, a member of Barrie Fire who participated in the rescue, said the entrance to the cave was only about 50 centimetres wide, and that it narrowed to about 38 centimetres, giving crews little room to manoeuver.

It is unclear how the man became trapped.

A friend said he was last seen Saturday afternoon, when the two of them went out to "enjoy the view."

"Then he wanted to go out hiking so he went out for an adventure," Bryan Weatherall said. “Then we found out that he was stuck in a cave."

Another friend said there are many caves in the area, and that they frequently explore the crevices, though usually in pairs.