Two workers rescued from Westport church basement

Firefighters rescued two workers Tuesday morning from a Westport church basement after they were overcome by fumes.

The two workers were installing waterproofing in the basement of the Westport Presbyterian Church at 201 Westport Road.

“We were able to recover them out of the basement, and they were being treated for respiratory distress,” said Battalion Chief James Garrett.

Firefighters responded to a call of workers trapped in a confined space about 9:45 a.m.

Garrett described the basement as being deep and about 10 feet wide, which he said would qualify as a trench.

“The challenge was getting down into a chemically charged atmosphere, getting some air on the individuals so they don’t have to continue to take in all that chemical, and then strap them up to where we could hoist them up,” Garrett said.

Both victims were conscious when they were taken to the hospital, where they will be checked.

Firefighters used air meters to check the atmosphere before going down with air packs on to rescue the workers.

The workers were helping restore the midtown landmark, which was gutted by fire in 2011.

This story was originally published April 7, 2015 at 11:29 AM with the headline "Two workers rescued from Westport church basement."