Christmas in May? Woman Stuck in Chimney

POMONA (CNS) - A woman who locked herself out of her Pomona home decided to use the chimney to get inside and ended up stuck for about five hours Friday before she was freed by rescuers.

Firefighters were called at 12:12 p.m. the 2200 block of Carlton Avenue. The chimney had to be taken apart so the woman, who suffered minor injuries, could be freed and taken to a hospital, a Los Angeles County Fire Department dispatcher said.

The rescue took less than an hour, according to the fire department.

The woman -- said in broadcast reports to be 20 years old -- suffered dehydration, but it could have been worse had a neighbor not heard her yelling for help and called 911, Pomona police Lt. Steve Congalton said.

Officers arrived, zeroed in on the cries and then called in the fire department, the lieutenant said.

--City News Service, photo via Shutterstock