A worker was trapped in a shipping container at a Facebook/Meta data center construction site in DeKalb County, Illinois.

The individual appeared not to know where they were, with emergency services having to play air horns to try and locate where they were hidden. The person was recovered unharmed.

"The person was found safe," Fire Chief Jeff McMaster told DCD. He declined to share specific details.

"The fire department did find somebody and they were all well - I cannot ascertain how long they were actually trapped. But we did receive a 911 call, we searched the area, and we found where the person was located. And they were released without incident."

From the department being called to the person being freed took 13 minutes, McMaster said. Local groups that transcribe emergency service scanners reveal that rescue personnel had a hard time locating the shipping container, so used an air horn while the trapped person made noises.

Facebook declined to comment on the incident, referring the matter to contractor Mortenson. The latter company said in a statement: "On Tuesday, Nov. 16 at the end of the workday, a worker on the DeKalb project site was accidentally locked in a Conex box for a short period of time. Project safety personnel and local first responders resolved the situation without incident."

Conex (short for Container Express) is another name for the ISO standard shipping container.

DCD has filed a Freedom of Information Request with the City of DeKalb for emergency service records of the incident.

Facebook first announced its plans to build in June 2020, with the company promising an $800m facility spanning 907,000 square feet (84,300 sq m).

Some locals pushed back over the site's proximity to a road, but the issue was resolved earlier this year when Facebook promised to build a 20ft wall of soil.