Watch NC Firefighters Free Worker Trapped in Trench Collapse

North Carolina firefighters worked for hours to dig out a worker who was trapped in a trench collapse Tuesday.

The incident happened at about 2 p.m. at a work site in Asheville, WLOS-TV reports. Dirt from a trench wall collapsed on a worker, trapping the individual. 

"The collapse of the wall just came right down on top of him and buried the subject from the chest down," Asheville Fire Department public information officer Kelley Klope told WLOS.

Once at the scene, firefighters immediately began clearing away the dirt in order to relieve pressure on the person's chest. North Carolina Urban Search and Rescue Task Force-2 also responded to the call with additional rescue gear.

"When we have a trench rescue, our biggest concern is to relieve the pressure from the body," Klope said. "Any type of compressed issues. So, as you can see behind me, we have a lot of resources in the area that we had to call in that is designed specifically for, whether it's a small trench or a large trench."

The worker was freed just before 4:30 p.m., according to the fire department. Throughout the incident, the individual was stable and alert, and medics took the worker to the hospital. Details about any injuries were not released.