Phoenix firefighters rescued a 13-year-old boy who got stuck in a chimney Wednesday evening.
The boy was playing with his friends on the roof of an apartment complex's community center near Interstate 17, south of Camelback Road, around 7 p.m. when he fell into the chimney, Phoenix Fire Capt. Ardell Deliz said.
The boy's friends called 911 and their parents, who were unable to get him out, Deliz said. The boy fell about 5 feet into the chimney, she said.
Shortly afterward, the fire department arrived, and the teen was pulled from the chimney by crews who lowered a rope to him and got him to wrap it around his arms, Deliz said.
The boy had minor scrapes and bruises from falling into the chimney but no serious injuries, she said.
"He was just happy to be out of there," Deliz said.
A neighbor said a few children have been playing on the roof recently.
When the teen was pulled out of the chimney, the neighbor said he was covered in ashes from head to toe.
"He was all full of soot," said Yolanda Gomez. "He had dark here, dark there. I mean he was all full of stuff. He's going to need a good bath, really, let me tell you!"
This is the third time this year that the fire department has had to pull people out of chimneys, Deliz said. The other two occasions were of adults locked out of their homes who tried to get in through the chimney.
Deliz said people need to be careful around chimneys or holes in the ground.
"We want to emphasize that this is not a place to play around in," she said.