NANAIMO, B.C. — Firefighters on central Vancouver Island had to use chainsaws to free a man trapped inside his home that was partially buried by a mudslide.
The frightening incident occurred Wednesday near Qualicum Beach, B.C., when an earthen bank behind the home collapsed.
Dashwood Fire Department Chief Nick Acciavetti (akh-uh-VET'-ee) says a mudslide then partially buried the two-storey home, pinning the man in his basement.
He says fire crews were forced to use hand saws and chainsaws to get him out of the house.
Acciavetti says the man was responsive when he was taken to Nanaimo hospital with unknown injuries, and his wife managed to escape the from the home.
He says about a dozen homes in the area are now under an evacuation order due to the risk of another landslide, and an emergency reception centre has been set up at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre
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