The daily routine of exercise classes and basketball games, among other activities at the San Fernando Recreation Park and Aquatic Center, was broken up Tuesday evening by an unusual emergency: An unidentified 30-year-old woman was stuck in a chimney atop a small storage building at the center.
Los Angeles city fire officials confirmed they needed an hour and 15 minutes to rescue the woman from her predicament.
She was taken to a hospital by paramedics in fair condition shortly after being pulled out around 8 p.m. No additional health update was provided. Even more unusual: The same woman returned the next day and was caught trying to climb back on the same roof, an official said.
Fire officials said the woman was not affiliated with or had business at the recreation center. They said questions about her housing status or the reason why she climbed onto the rock-structure building should be directed to San Fernando police.
A call to the department was not immediately returned.
Since her identity is unknown, it’s unclear whether the woman was fined or arrested.
Julio Salcedo, San Fernando’s recreation and community services director, said the same woman was arrested again Wednesday morning attempting to climb back onto the roof.
“We have staff here that have worked for 20, 25 years,” Salcedo said. “We were just talking about how it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been here, there’s always something that will surprise you.”
The chimney was located atop a former Boy Scouts meeting house currently used as public works department storage, according to Salcedo.
The woman’s timing was actually fortunate given that multiple people exercising and walking at the park heard her screams for help and called emergency services, Salcedo said.
“Had that happened a little later, like an hour later, our park would have been empty,” Salcedo said. “She might have been there all night.”
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