Emergency crews in central Victoria have described the difficult operation that freed a man in his 60s after he became trapped in a grain silo at a Grain Corp facility in Dunolly.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, 6 October, at the facility on Thompson Street. The rescue operation was reported in a new article published on 12 October. Emergency services were called at approximately 3:30 pm after workers at the site tried unsuccessfully to free the man.

The Country Fire Authority (CFA) deployed its specialist Oscar One Technical Rescue Brigade, based in Bendigo, to help with the operation. Firefighters and other emergency personnel faced the challenge of removing grain without allowing more material to collapse around the trapped worker.

The man was trapped above his knee, with grain pressing his leg against a bracket connected to an auger at the bottom of the silo. According to rescue brigade captain Karl Shay, the pressure caused significant pain and distress. He said the operation may have saved the man's life.

Rescuers needed to carefully manage the grain surrounding the worker. Removing grain from one area can cause material above it to fall and replace what has been taken away, potentially trapping the person more firmly or creating additional danger.

To reduce that risk, crews constructed a protective barrier around the man before extracting grain from the enclosed area. Images released by the CFA showed improvised barriers made from corrugated metal and road signs, helping prevent more grain from collapsing onto him as rescuers worked. The silo was reportedly about 10 per cent full when the incident occurred. Although grain-entrapment rescues are uncommon, the specialist rescue brigade regularly trains for these types of emergencies because they can become life-threatening very quickly.

Firefighters from Dunolly, Maryborough and Bealiba worked alongside the specialist rescue unit. Fire Rescue Victoria, Victoria Police, the State Emergency Service and Ambulance Victoria also attended. CFA commander Hugh Kelly praised the cooperation between the different emergency services, describing the incident as a complex rescue that required teams to work together to achieve a positive outcome.

The rescue continued for more than three hours. The incident was declared safe at 7:08 pm, and the man was flown to Bendigo Health for medical observation. He was released from hospital the following day.

A Work Safe investigation into the circumstances of the incident remains ongoing. The investigation will help establish how the worker became trapped and whether any workplace safety issues contributed to the incident. No further conclusions should be drawn until the investigation is completed.

The rescue highlights the dangers associated with working around stored grain and industrial augers. Grain can shift unexpectedly, placing workers under pressure and making rescue efforts especially difficult. The successful operation demonstrated the importance of specialist training, careful planning and coordinated emergency response.