Firefighters rescue three men who got trapped inside tumble dryer

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) said that while two managed to crawl in successfully, the third got into difficulties when his ‘ankles became trapped in the door’.

Three men had to be rescued after getting stuck in a tumble dryer.

Firefighters were called to a derelict laundry site in Bower Hill, Epping, shortly after 6.30pm on Friday.

They found the young men, believed to be in their late teens, trapped inside the industrial-sized machine.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) said that while two managed to crawl in successfully, the third got into difficulties when his ‘ankles became trapped in the door’.

Police officers, the helicopter medical emergency service (HEMS) and the ambulance service’s hazardous area response team were all drafted in to help free the men.

They used ‘a lot of heavy equipment’ to first help untangle the third man’s legs so he could get inside the dryer before removing the door so all three could get back out again.

All three were then given pain relief and left in the care of paramedics.

Glenn Jackson, the ECFRS watch manager, said: ‘It was a difficult site to access and we had to carry a lot of heavy equipment a large distance from the appliances to the tumble dryer and then use our expertise to free the men safely.

‘We used a range of equipment to free the casualty’s ankles and allow him to crawl into the tumble dryer.

‘The HEMS team gave him pain relief and we then managed to move the door, again using a range of equipment, so the men could crawl out.’

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