Man Rescued from Wedge of Rock Walls in Utah Canyon

Rescuers arrived in the nick of time to save a man from a scary situation that occurred when he found himself stuck in the walls of Zero Gravity Slot Canyon in Emery County, Utah .

In a release posted to Facebook, Sheriff Tyson Huntington of the Emery County Sheriff’s Office recounted the harrowing ordeal that his team responded to in order to free a man who was wedged in between the very narrow walls of the canyon on July 15 at 10:30 p.m. local time.

“Our experience in the past has shown that when someone is wedged between canyon walls, time is of the essence,” Huntington said.

Per the release, authorities arrived at the scene just after midnight. In order to successfully free the man from the canyon as quickly as possible, Sheriff Huntington explained that Search and Rescue (SAR) members had to construct a special rope system to remove him. 

“SAR members had to get rigged up and actually drop below the victim to help him be loosened from the canyon walls,” the sheriff said, adding that “while the SAR members were on the ropes and below the victim, the remaining SAR members were above them running the rope system, which is a serious amount of work.”

Representatives from the Emery County Search and Rescue and the Emery County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The man was hiking with two others who were also in need of assistance after being trapped in the Zero Gravity slot canyon, the sheriff’s office confirmed.

In addition to the SAR team, the Department of Public Safety also got involved in the rescue efforts and “deployed one helicopter with a pilot and a two-man task force to help as needed.” Huntington added, “DPS personnel helped with running the rope system, which was a great help to the SAR members.”

Eventually, “the main victim was rescued as well as two others,” Huntington said. The sheriff added, “The rescue was a success and all victims were saved and were able to avoid serious injury. Our victims were extremely grateful for the services they received.”

According to the sheriff’s office, the rescue took several hours, with Huntington stating in the release that crews did not return home until after 6:30 a.m. local time. 

Huntington also acknowledged the skilled members of the SAR team for the successful rescue, stating in the release, “If it wasn’t for the SAR Team and their abilities, the outcome may have been quite unfavorable.”