Firefighters have successfully rescued a worker in Vaughn who spent more than three hours in a trench pinned by soil against a wall.
CTV Toronto's John Musselman, reporting from the scene on Wednesday, said the worker had been alone in the trench beside a house doing some waterproofing work when he became trapped up to his waist.
"There was some real concern the trench could collapse in on him," he said.
Firefighters brought in plywood to shore up the area and began digging frantically to extricate the worker.
They brought a truck in to pump out water that had been building up in the trench as a result of the day's rains.
"The man was conscious throughout this rescue. He was able to talk to the firefighters, telling them that he couldn't move his legs," Musselman said.
Paramedics took the man to hospital in an ambulance, but firefighters say he is in good condition.
There had been worries about hypothermia because the man had been working without his shirt on when he became trapped, Musselman said.
In an unrelated incident, a TTC worker became trapped about 10 a.m. in an access vent and was visible from the street. He lacked the tool to unlock the grating.
Firefighters took about an hour to free him. He suffered no injuries but was reportedly embarrassed.
