VIDEO RELEASED: Stuck Man Rescued From Temecula Storm Drain

TEMECULA, CA — Video was released of the dramatic rescue Tuesday in Temecula of a man who was wedged deep inside a narrow storm drain.

The hours-long "high risk" operation by Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department crews began about 1 a.m. in a residential neighborhood in the 31000 block of Hickory Place, near Aspen Way, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department Battalion Chief Mark League.

The man, whose name was not released, was found stuck about 270 feet inside the tunnel. It's unclear how he ended up in the storm drain or how he was discovered.

A half-dozen engine crews and three truck companies, as well as a hazardous material unit, were sent to the location and initiated attempts to pull the man out of the 18-inch diameter passage, but he was uncooperative for unspecified reasons, and personnel had to switch strategies, according to the fire department.

The ensuing technical rescue using industrial equipment, and relying on assistance from the Eastern Municipal Water District and the Temecula Department of Public Works, succeeded in removing him from the drain shortly after 9 a.m., according to the fire department.

He was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment of what were described as moderate injuries.