Firefighters from three Pawa'a station companies last night rescued a woman who became trapped between the outside and inside doors of a freight elevator at Macy's Ala Moana Center store.

"She was wedged between the screen door and the outside door," said Pawa'a ladder Capt. Eric Capplonch. "This is the first time I've seen this."

The woman, believed to be an employee, was stuck on the third floor with one leg and half her body pinned in a space of about eight inches between the elevator's inside and outside doors. Firefighters responded to the call at 9:09 p.m.

Capplonch said they could not pry the outside-door sections, which open from top and bottom, without putting the victim at greater risk for injury. Rescue 1 specialists rappelled down into the elevator from the fourth floor and brought in the "jaws of life" to cut through the screen door and free the woman.

The woman was conscious and did not appear to be seriously injured. She was taken to The Queen's Medical Center.

How the woman became pinned is under investigation by store and center officials.

The rescue operation took more than an hour to complete.

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.