CHICAGO -- The Chicago Fire Department successfully rescued a water department employee trapped to his waist in a trench Wednesday night in the South Side.

The fire department responded to the intersection of 64th Street and Kenwood Avenue at 9:26 p.m. and the worker was rescued about 11:30 p.m., according to Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford.

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"We found a man who was up to his knees and his waist in dirt. We had to shore up the sides before we could send members in, so we shored it up and we hand-dug the man out. It took about two hours," said fire Chief Kevin Fox.

The man was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition, but the man should be fine, Langford said.

"This doesn't happen too often, " Langford said. "He should be OK though. Nothing was broken, he was just cold from being out there so long."

The trench -- about six feet wide and 10 feet deep -- collapsed and trapped the employee up to his waist, Langford said.

The fire department used hydraulic shields to prevent further collapse of the trench, he said.

At one point the fire department was giving the employee an IV to bring his body temperature up, he said, noting that the dirt was absorbing the worker's body heat.

In addition, heaters were brought to the intersection, he said.