Investigators in Cumbria are trying to establish how a man managed to climb an 88-metre (290ft) chimney with no ladder at ground level.
The man, in his 50s, died on Monday afternoon after being stuck at the top of Dixon’s Chimney in Carlisle for more than 14 hours.
The man, who has not yet been named, was first spotted up the chimney at 2.20am on Monday.
The call sparked a major rescue, which included the help of Cumbria fire and rescue, a coastguard helicopter, police, paramedics, Great North air ambulance, Penrith mountain rescue team, and rope rescue specialists from the Lancashire fire and rescue service.
By dawn he was hanging upside down from one foot, bare-chested despite the morning mist and sub-zero temperatures.
He was still alive at about 10.30am when the fire service flew a drone to the top of the chimney with a speaker on it, asking him to move an arm or a leg if he could hear them. They also used a thermal camera to establish whether he was still breathing.
Rescuing the man proved difficult because of concerns over how securely he was attached to the ladder at the top of the chimney, Supt Matt Kennerley said on Monday. A helicopter rescue was aborted amid concerns of backdrafts, which could have knocked the man to the ground.
He was dead by the time he was rescued at 4.45pm using a cherry-picker brought down from Scotland. The Cumbria fire and rescue service did not have a ladder long enough to reach him and appealed for help across the border.
The chimney ladder, which is damaged, is temporary and does not start until about 4.5 metres (15ft) above ground level, according to Carlisle city council, raising the question of how the man managed to climb on to the chimney.
A Carlisle city council spokesperson said the chimney had recently been repaired by specialist contractors, and was not accessible to the public.
“The site is secure and is surrounded by a walled and gated compound. There is no direct access to the chimney from ground level. The ladders which are currently attached to the structure are temporary and were installed by the contractor to facilitate access to complete maintenance repairs. These start from a height of 15ft above the ground. We are working with our specialist contractor to remove the ladders,” the spokesperson said.
Dozens of rescue workers and police officers were involved, some drafted in from as far afield as Glasgow and Lancashire.
Cumbria police said: “The thoughts of all the emergency services and partners are with the family and friends of the man. Specialist welfare police officers are supporting his family at this difficult time.”
