Firefighters in California say that after a "cautious and technical" operation, a woman was rescued from a tiny gap between two buildings. The naked woman had somehow become stuck in the space between two businesses in Santa Ana, Fox 11 reports. Max Benett, the owner of Tim's Auto Repair and Smog, says the space is less than 10 inches wide. "It's big enough for a cat, or maybe a dog, but definitely not a human," he tells the Orange County Register. Firefighters cut through the concrete wall of his business to rescue the woman, who was freed Tuesday afternoon, more than two hours after her cries for help were heard.
Firefighters say workers in the auto shop heard her pleading for help, but because of noise in the business, it took almost 30 minutes for them to find out where the cries were coming from. "The biggest challenge was cutting close enough to actually get her out without pulling her through this tight little space but then also not [letting] any part of that wall come down on her and injure her," says Capt. Thanh Nguyen of the Orange County Fire Authority, per NBC Los Angeles. "She was just right inside here. She was scrunched in there sideways." He says the woman, who was alert and conscious during the rescue, was taken to an area hospital for evaluation. Details on how or why she got stuck haven't yet been revealed. (More firefighters stories.)