The Sea Cliff construction site where a worker was trapped in a collapsed ditch for four hours did not have the proper building permits, San Francisco officials said Wednesday.

The Building Inspection Department ordered construction suspended at the home at 38 W. Clay St. after part of a deck collapsed just before 1 p.m. Tuesday, pitching the worker into a trench of sandy soil that then collapsed and buried him up to his neck.

Twenty-five firefighters spent four hours digging out the man, who officials said is in his 30s. He was treated at San Francisco General Hospital and was released Tuesday evening. His name was not released.

Inspectors halted construction after determining that a building permit issued in March to Brian Mac Namara Construction of San Francisco did not include approval for a trench, said Bill Strawn, spokesman for the Building Inspection Department. The company also will have to pay a fine of about $1,000.

Company representatives did not return calls seeking comment.

City records show that the company planned to complete $500,000 worth of renovations to the home, including installing a deck above the garage and building a retaining wall in the backyard.

Cal/OSHA also is investigating the accident.