Would-be Santa, 7, rescued from chimney

Erica Johnson

Wednesday, June 20, 2001 | 10:26 a.m.

A local boy learned Tuesday that some things should be left up to Santa Claus.

The boy emerged unharmed after sliding down the family's brick chimney and getting stuck above the damper in the fireplace.

Firefighters said 7-year-old Sammy Schmitt was playing on the rooftop of the one-story house with his 5-year-old brother when he took the metal covering off the top of the chimney and tried to slide down the chute and into the living room below.

The incident occurred in the 6200 block of Casada Way about 8 a.m. The boy's mother was home at the time.

"Other than getting some soot on him and breathing in a little bit of dust, he's fine," Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Timothy Szymanski said, as the boy, along with his mother, was taken to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center.

Szymanski said four fire units were called to the scene, including a heavy rescue unit. It took firefighters about an hour to free the boy.

Once rescuers used a chisel to break away the concrete, they were able to reach into the chute from inside the fireplace and grab the boy, who was about three feet off the ground, Szymanski said.

The boy's stepfather, Lawrence Gonzoles, rushed home from work after hearing of the boy's predicament.

Gonzoles said Schmitt already was grounded, and that he and the boy's mother would have to think of an appropriate punishment for the latest prank.

Szymanski said this doesn't happen often because most modern chimneys are made of metal and are typically too narrow to climb down.

The Las Vegas Fire Department crews responded to a similar call three years ago, when a burglar tried to break into someone's home through the chimney and became stuck, Szymanski said.

As fire crews pulled away, Gonzoles was able to force a smile.

"He climbed down the chimney and he didn't even leave us any presents," he said.