Las Vegas firefighters rescue tree trimmer stuck 35 feet in the air

Palm fronds can be dangerous, especially if you trim them for a living.

An unidentified Las Vegas man learned that lesson the hard way after getting stuck in them for about 90 minutes Saturday afternoon.

The palm fronds slid on top of him, trapping him 35 feet in the air.

He immediately did what most men would do: He called his wife. She then called 911.

Firefighters rescued him shortly after the 1:17 p.m. call.

The incident occurred in the 1600 block of Bryn Mawr Avenue, near Rancho Drive and Oakey Street, said Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski.

The man climbed the tree using spiked boots, but was trapped under the weight of the fronds.

Firefighters from the department’s technical rescue team used extension ladders to reach the man, who wasn’t injured.

At first it was thought that an NV Energy truck with a cherry picker was going to be the hero of the day, but live power lines prevented that kind of rescue.

“Instances like this one today have sometimes been fatal in other cities,” said Szymanski. “This type of a call is a serious situation and is technical in nature while performing the rescue. Fortunately in this case the rescue was successful.”

Contact reporter Tom Ragan at tragan@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512.