The Vicksburg Fire Department (VFD) during Friday morning’s power outage in downtown Vicksburg found itself tapping into rarely used skills when a man found himself trapped inside an elevator shaft in the Aeolian Apartments on Cherry Street.

Fire Chief Derrick Stamps said firefighters were forced to rappel from the roof in order to reach the man in distress.

“At approximately 9:45 a.m., the Vicksburg Fire Department responded to a report of a person trapped inside an elevator at 1300 Cherry Street,” Stamps said. “Upon arrival, the fire crews discovered that the building had lost power. They accessed the elevator shaft by climbing to the roof and setting up a rappelling device using a rope to lower members of the fire department to the elevator’s ceiling.”

Stamps said the man was safely rescued.

“After entering the elevator, the crews successfully rescued a 59-year-old man who appeared nervous but sustained no injuries,” he said.