Woman stuck in chimney later arrested

A rescue team extracted a woman trapped in the chimney of a Southern California home Sunday, according to police.

The woman, later identified as Genoveva Nunez-Figueroain a report from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, had been stuck for several hours, Capt. Mike Lindbery, Ventura County Fire Department public information officer, told USA TODAY Network.

She was arrested for suspected illegal entry.

Police told the Associated Press that Nunez-Figueroa knows the owner of the home, who wasn't there at the time. The police would not give any additional information.

Neighbors in the Thousand Oaks, Calif., neighborhood heard someone screaming for help at around 5:30 a.m. but had "difficulty pinpointing where that voice was coming from," Lindbery said. They contacted local police who realized the voice was coming from a chimney. Police contacted the fire department, he said, who then turned to a local search-and-rescue team. That team proceeded to dismantle the chimney, making sure none of the debris fell onto Nunez-Figueroa.

"It took them about 2 hours and 20 minutes to get to the patient," Lindbery said, adding that she was conscious the entire time and communicating. Once they reached Nunez-Figueroa's hands, the rescue team used dish soap to lubricate the flue and remove her, he said. Lindbery posted photos of Nunez-Figueroa's removal on his Twitter account, @VCFD_PIO.

Nunez-Figueroa was transferred to a local hospital where she was evaluated and then released back to the sheriff's office, he said. Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Ron Oatman told the Associated Press firefighters destroyed the chimney and damaged the roof removing her.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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