Los Angeles firefighters rushed into Koreatown on Friday morning to rescue a man who was stuck in a chimney for more than five hours.

Police said it started about 2 a.m. when a 20-year-old man and his friends were drinking on top of a roof in the 2700 block of West 8th Street.

“It was just young people drinking and daring each other to do silly things,” Sgt. Raul Pedroza said.

One of those dares, apparently, was for the 20-year-old to climb into the building’s chimney – an 18-inch wide channel.


For more than four hours, his friend tried to get him out before giving up and calling 911, Pedroza said.

Firefighters made quick work of the calamity and helped the man shimmy down the chimney until he was freed.

The man was in fair condition, officials said, and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. Pedroza said the man will be cited for vandalism for damage to the chimney.

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Joseph.serna@latimes.com


@josephserna