Firefighters rescue man trapped in grease vent of empty California eatery

Dec. 13 (UPI) -- A man trapped in a grease duct at a vacant California restaurant was rescued after spending two days there, covered in oil and unable to move, authorities said.

The Alameda County Sheriff's Office said the 29-year-old man was found severely dehydrated and physically exhausted in the sheet metal duct in San Lorenzo, Calif.

"The man was covered in grease and oil and was trapped in such a condition that he could not move," sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Ray Kelly said in a statement.

A person walking past the building called firefighters after hearing a faint voice coming from the former Chinese restaurant. A ladder was extended to the roof, where firefighters found the trapped man. Officials said it took an hour to get him out.

The man was hospitalized but should make a full recovery.

Police are trying to learn why the man ended up in the duct, since the building is vacant.

"We are conducting a trespassing and vandalism investigation," Kelly said. "It is unknown if the suspect intended to commit a burglary."

Kelly also said the man may not have survived another day in the vent.

"We are very thankful to our citizen reporter and our firefighters for saving this man," he said.