Man trapped in grease vent for two days

A 29-year-old man has been rescued after spending two days trapped in a grease vent in a Chinese restaurant in California, according to US police.

He was freed from the metal duct on Wednesday morning after emergency services responded to reports of “a faint voice calling for help” from the building, in San Lorenzo near Oakland, reports local paper The Mercury News.

The London Evening Standard says that it took firefighters just under an hour to dismantle the hood and duct system in order to reach the man, who had been unable to climb up the greasy, smooth walls.

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He was taken to hospital for treatment for exhaustion and dehydration but is expected to make a full recovery.

“He was very dirty, very cold,” said Sergeant Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department. “He was very thankful to see us.”

“The man was covered in grease and oil and was trapped in such a condition that he could not move,” Kelly added.

Police could not confirm how or why the man came to be inside the vent of the restaurant, which is believed to have gone out of business earlier this year. Officials said he may have been trespassing but are unsure whether the incident was a burglary attempt, the BBC reports.