Firefighters in Columbus rescue child stuck in laundry chute

COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) – A child has been freed after getting stuck in a laundry chute, according to the Columbus Fire Department.

The department said that on Wednesday, Sept. 22, just after 3 p.m., crews were called to the 2600 block of Forest Drive for a report of a child stuck in a laundry chute.

CFD said the child became stuck after entering the chute from a second-story bedroom and then slid down to the basement where the child became stuck at the chute’s opening.

After getting to the scene, crews found the 8-year-old stuck in the chute, who was bent at the waist with both feet and head facing up with the buttocks in a downward position.

Firefighters, after first trying to reposition the child from the bottom, crews then created an access hole through a first-floor wall by removing drywall.

After another unsuccessful attempt, firefighters discovered that they were unable to move the chute due to a joist near the bottom of the chute. Then crews cut through the joist in the floor, which allowed the child to move through the chute and was lowered to the basement floor.

Crews said the child, who was taken to the hospital and later released, was in the chute for close to 40 minutes.