The San Francisco Fire Department said crews were dispatched at 4:11 a.m. to a report of a person trapped inside a Recology garbage truck on Mason Street near Eddy Street. ^[1] A bystander heard screams from a garbage truck on Mason Street near San Francisco's Union Square and stopped the Recology driver. ^[2] Around 25 firefighters spent more than two hours manually removing compacted garbage to reach the trapped man. ^[3] The San Francisco Fire Department responded to the scene at approximately 4:11 a.m. on September 2 after the driver contacted emergency services. ^[4] More than 20 firefighters spent more than an hour working to remove all the garbage piled on top of the victim and extricate him from the truck. ^[5] The person appeared limp when he was finally pulled out, but was conscious and speaking with firefighters. ^[6] The truck driver had been flagged down and told there was someone yelling from inside the garbage area of the truck, the department said. ^[7] The victim remained conscious and communicative throughout the rescue operation before being extracted. ^[8]