Man dangling from communication wires falls onto fire engine, prompts street closure in downtown Vancouver

First responders Saturday evening shut down a portion of West Sixth Street in downtown Vancouver for a man who climbed out onto communication wires and dangled from them for nearly an hour.

The Vancouver Fire Department was called to help Vancouver police at 6 p.m. with a man on the roof of Little Conejo, 114 W. Sixth St. Police requested the fire department’s ladder truck to access the restaurant’s roof, according to a news release from Vancouver Fire.

The man was throwing bricks, glass and other items, damaging nearby property and endangering people and first responders, the fire department said.

NW Natural and Clark Public Utilities responded to address any gas or electricity issues, the news release states.

The man then climbed out onto communication wires above the street. First responders shut down the street, and Fire Engine 1 was repositioned to catch the man if he fell, the fire department said.

After hanging from the wires for about 45 minutes, the man fell onto Engine 1 but quickly got to his feet. Police talked him into getting off the fire engine, and he was taken into custody, according to the news release.

AMR took the man to a local hospital for evaluation.

Authorities did not release the man’s identity.