A construction worker died Thursday when a concrete wall at a construction site at a home in a Boston suburb collapsed on him, authorities said.

Firefighters responded to the scene in Newton just before 8 a.m., Fire Chief Gino Lucchetti said at a news conference at the site.

Rescuers needed specialized equipment to try and get to the man, he said, and it quickly became apparent that what started as a rescue effort had turned into a recovery effort.

The victim’s name was not released, but in a statement, the Middlesex district attorney’s office said he was 55 years old. He was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy is scheduled.

No one else was hurt.

The roughly 10-foot-tall wall in the yard was not attached to the house, Lucchetti said, but the district attorney described it as part of the foundation.

City police and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration responded to the scene and are also investigating.

The death is the 15th confirmed workplace fatality in the state this year, and the sixth in the construction industry, according to the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, a workers rights advocacy group.