Riverside firefighters and police freed a man from an underground drain pipe

Riverside firefighters and police freed a man who had been stuck for three days in an 18-inch drain pipe about 20 feet underground, the Los Angeles Times reported. The call came in around 11:40 a.m. Saturday as a person inside a drain tunnel calling for help. Division Chief Greg White said the man was 20 feet into the pipe and could not get himself out. Capt. Steve Hallgreen, the department's public information officer, said the pipe was small enough that the tight fit is what held him.

Crews spent about two hours clearing debris, putting a technical rescue team together, and bringing in the equipment they needed. The incident report said Corona Urban Search and Rescue was also asked to help. Hallgreen said the pipe sits below the surface and drains into a canal along the train tracks near Commerce and Cottage streets, and that the man came out the same way he went in. Police closed the tracks while the rescue was underway. He was treated at the scene and taken to a hospital, where he was listed as stable. The department did not describe his injuries, and the report does not give his name.