Man Locked Out of His Home Gets Stuck in the Chimney

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Many of us have experienced the panic of getting locked out of our home. The moment you dig through your pockets and realize your keys are nowhere to be found, you briefly think about how pricey locksmiths are, and your mind turns to alternatives. Maybe the back door is open? Can you pry open a window? Or make like Santa and shimmy down the chimney?

That was the method picked recently by one 26-year-old homeowner in Tucson, AZ (who remains anonymous, most likely to curb his embarrassment). Getting onto the roof and down the hatch was no big deal, but then the chimney’s diameter narrowed near the fireplace, and he got stuck.

Trapped in his chimney for nearly four hours, the man was finally rescued after a neighbor heard him yelling and called the Tucson Fire Department. A response team, answering the call for a “confined space rescue,” pulled the poor man up the chimney using a rope, then posted about the rescue on its Facebook page. After being evaluated by paramedics, the homeowner luckily showed no signs of physical injury, although he may have suffered from bruised pride.

It’s OK to laugh at this hapless homeowner, but as it turns out, chimney-climbing is no joke. People have died after getting stuck in chimneys—from asphyxiation either from the smoke, or not having enough room to breathe, or just from hunger if they weren’t discovered soon enough.

So, back to the beginning. You’re locked out of your home, and you’re too cheap to call a locksmith. What should you do?

Another idea (also from popular culture) might be to jimmy open the lock with a credit card. Sorry: This life hack might have worked when most locks were made with spring bolts, but today, lock manufacturers design more advanced locks, and your Visa card is not going to get past them.

And don’t try to break glass windows either—that could get messy fast, warns home security expert Robert Siciliano.

“The easiest and simplest way to break into a home is by shouldering or kicking in the front or back door,” Siciliano says. “Generally, most door frames are only reinforced with half-inch pinewood and can be easily compromised by a 12-year-old boy.”

At that point,  you might want to consider whether the locksmith might actually cost less than replacing the door frame.

Your best plan, actually, is to be prepared, Siciliano says. Take these steps, and you won’t have to worry about the day you lose your keys:

• Set up spare keys in an inconspicuous yet accessible location. Keep them inaccessible to thieves by placing them in a combination lock case.
• Install locks that only require a code, as opposed to a key.
• Leave a key with a reliable and trustworthy neighbor (or two).

Because let’s face it: The day will come when you find yourself locked out of your home, so it’s best to be prepared. Here’s hoping that our unfortunate chimney-climber learned his lesson and gave his neighbor a set of spare keys.

The post Man Locked Out of His Home Gets Stuck in the Chimney appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com.

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