(UPDATE, 12:35 pm) The man was successfully rescued from the silo. There is no word yet on whether he sustained any serious injuries.
A rescue is underway at Western Sugar Co-Op on State Avenue for an employee buried up to his chest in a sugar silo.
Billings Fire Department Battallion Chief Kevin Bentz said the man became trapped at around 7:30 a.m.
Bentz said the man is alive, awake, and breathing, and said the rescue is long, labor intensive, and careful.
The rescue crew is building a wooden box on-site that will be placed around the worker. The plan is then to use a rope system to get him out of the silo from a small opening at the top.
Bentz said because the sugar in the silo is so fine, it continues to fill the area around the man as they try to remove it.
He wasn’t sure if the worker was performing maintenance or fell into the silo.
The Billings Police Department shut down State Street from South 29th Street to South 30th Street.
Drivers are asked to avoid the area.
We will update you as we get more information.
