Man charged with mischief after becoming stuck inside Talus Dome

Man charged after rescue from Talus Dome A man has been charged after firefighters had to rescue him from the Talus Dome on Sunday. David Ewasuk reports.

Edmonton firefighters rescued a person trapped inside the iconic Talus Dome public art installation in the river valley Sunday evening.

According to Edmonton Fire Rescue Services, a person walking near the statue observed that a man was stuck inside it and called 911 around 8:28 p.m.

Three engines were initially dispatched and arrived minutes later. EFRS technical rescue specialists worked to extricate the person while reducing any damage to the artwork "as much as possible."

EMS assessed the person on-scene but did not take them to hospital.

The rescue was successfully completed around 10 p.m. It appeared only one silver ball from the art structure, commonly referred to as the Talus balls, was removed.

In an interview, EFRS district chief Troy Brady revealed it took crews around an hour and a half to get the man out using the jaws of life, a saw and other heavy rescue equipment to clear a path through the steel structure.

"It's definitely a first for me," Brady said. "It's definitely different than what we would typically use it [the jaws of life] for."

Brady says the man was climbing on the Talus Dome when he "somehow got himself in there."

"He dropped himself in there and was unable to get out."

A spokesperson for the Edmonton Police Service says the 26-year-old man caused damage to several of the balls while climbing on the structure.

He was charged with one count of mischief over $5,000 and released.