Firefighters save 39-stone man

A MORBIDLY obese man who had not left his house since the pandemic had to be rescued from his home on Wednesday May 25, when he got into difficulty after a fall.

Firefighters were called to the home of Alejandro B, a 48­year­old man who lived trapped in rubbish that had accumulated in the basement of a block of flats in El Prat de Llobregat, Barcelona, according to a news source.

Police officers were alerted at 8.30am after the man suffered a fall. It later emerged the man had not eaten or drunk for several days, and desperately needed help.

Police reports indicate that he weighed more than 250 kilos (39.3 stones) and that he had not been seen outside his home since the pandemic.

In an operation lasting seven hours, firefighters gained access through a window with an excavator, where they removed bags, plastics, boxes and other garbage that had piled­up.

Finally, at midday, rescuers reached him where he was given oxygen, while emergency services continued to work to clear the way for him to be released.

With the aid of a forklift truck, firefighters managed to remove him from the house through the window, at around 3.00pm.