A person is in critical condition after falling 40 feet into a smokestack on Saturday morning in New Haven.
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The incident occurred at around 10:30 a.m.
A construction worker died Saturday after falling into a smokestack at the Yale University power plant on Tower Parkway, fire officials said.
The worker had been on a ladder about 50 feet up the chimney, which stretches 100 feet high, and fell to the bottom, leaving him in critical condition, he said.
New Haven Fire Department Operations Chief Matthew Marcarelli told the Register that New Haven firefighters tried for an hour to breach the chimney’s walls in an effort to save the man. Meanwhile, another worker climbed down the chimney to administer emergency medical care, the Register reported.
Firefighters spolit into two teams. They had to cut through a stainless steel liner to reach him. Marcarelli said the man was wearing a harness.
The worker was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital where he died a short time later, according to Fox.
In a statement, Karen Peart, deputy press secretary for Yale, said, “Yale extends its deepest condolences to the worker’s family, friends and co-workers”.
Fire officials did not release his name, but said he was from Oregon and was working on plant upgrades. An investigation of the incident is ongoing.
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University police and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating.
