A practical joke turned into a rescue call early Sunday morning when fire crews retrieved a 23-year-old man who was stuck inside the chimney of a north Phoenix home.

Crews rescued the man after they received a confined space rescue call at about 3 a.m.

Two friends of the man said they played a joke on him by locking him out of the house, located in the area of East Thunderbird Road and North 60th Street. He unsuccessfully attempted to reenter via the chimney, according to Phoenix fire spokesman Captain Aaron Ernsberger.

The firefighters were able to retrieve the man from the chimney within 30 minutes, Ernsberger said. The 23-year-old was in stable condition and transported to the hospital for precautionary reasons.