Tree Trimmer Rescued After Becoming Trapped 25 Feet Up on Palm Tree

At one point, nearly all of the palm fronds fell away, leaving the man dangling

A tree trimmer dangled from a palm tree he was trapped in for nearly an hour on Monday before a search and rescue team on a long ladder helped him down, according to fire officials in Southern California.

The man was trimming the tree when the whole crown of fronds collapsed, trapping him inside as if it were a cocoon.

The real danger was presented when the fronds surrounded the man because it was feared that he may suffocate inside, officials said.

"We have fatal situations where literally the palm fronds will crush a person or prevent them from breathing because it is so tight around them," said Lisa Derderian of the Pasadena Fire Department.

He was attached to the tree by a rope, making it harder to remove him from inside the fronds.

"He was talking to us the whole time," Daniel Delgado, Pasadena Fire Department rescuer, said.

The fire department said this has happened to someone before, and it doesn't take long for a person trapped inside to suffocate.

The man was conscious as fire officials cut away palm fronds to free him near the intersection of Adena Street and Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena at around 4 p.m.

He was hanging 25 feet in the air, according to a tweet by the Pasadena Fire Department.

At one point, with rescuers nearby on a ladder, nearly all of the palm fronds the man clung to fell away, leaving him dangling. [[337328841, C]]

But he was successfully brought to the ground at 4:45 p.m. PT.

He was transferred to a local hospital, and his family said he was in stable condition. 

Heather Navarro contributed to this report. 

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