Minn. firefighters rescue man trapped in sewer for 4 days

By Mara H. Gottfried
Pioneer Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul firefighters used a rope system Tuesday to rescue a man who was in a sewer for several days.

The department’s Advanced Technical Rescue Team responded about 10:35 a.m. to find the man 10 to 12 feet below ground in a sewer opening, according to Deputy Fire Chief Jamie Smith. It was in the area of Union Gospel Mission on East University Avenue near Lafayette Road.

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The man was conscious and alert, said he’d been there for three to four days, and he couldn’t get out on his own, Smith said.

The team used its rope system to lower a rescuer to the man and raised them both up to street level. St. Paul fire department’s EMS evaluated the man at the scene and took him to a hospital in stable condition for further evaluation.

There wasn’t immediate information about how the man became trapped in the sewer.

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