A man suffered life-threatening injuries after getting pinned in a tree he was cutting on Friday afternoon.

Suffolk Fire & Rescue crews responded to the incident, which was reported at 4:52 p.m. in the 200 block of North Street in downtown Suffolk, according to a city press release. Neighbors heard the man screaming for help and called 911.

The man, believed to be in his late 30s, was on a ladder cutting the tree when a section of tree, about 20 feet long, fell and pinned him at a fork in the tree. He was suspended almost upside down about 24 feet off the ground.

Thunderstorms complicated rescue efforts, but firefighters provided treatment while crews worked to remove the section that had the man pinned. Schadel Sheet Metal Works provided a crane to help, and Suffolk Iron Works also had a crane on standby.

Technical Rescue teams from Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and Norfolk responded to the scene to aid Suffolk Fire & Rescue’s Technical Rescue team. The man was freed about 7:07 p.m. and flown by Nightingale to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital for treatment.

Market Street was closed between City Hall and Chestnut Street during the rescue.