DENVER - It took a Denver Fire crew more than an hour to successfully rescue a kitten that had its head trapped in a dumpster in an alley off of east Colfax Avenue on Friday.
The report came in from a bystander at 2:43 p.m. and three minutes later, the Engine crew from Fire Station No. 8 were on scene, shortly followed by the Truck crew.
"Our engine company arrived first on scene and found a cat that had its head stuck in a drain hole inside the dumpster," said Lt. Aaron Jonke. "Even though it's not a human being, it still becomes a technical rescue. The engine company found them but Truck 8 actually has specialized tools to be able to do intricate operations like that."
Crews had to use a saw and other tools to safely cut through the metal to free the kitten, since lubricants were not working.
"We used a drill, a reciprocating saw, a grinder and what we call a 'Whiz Wheel.' We also had to use water to keep the dumpster cool when we were cutting the metal so we didn't burn the cat as well," Jonke said. "Absolutely we feel for it. We treat it just like it was a human being in a sense. We want to make sure we rescue the cat and rescue the cat safely."
Officials say it's unknown how the cat ended up in the dumpster.
"Malnourished. It had been in there for a while," Station Fire Chief Greg Taft said.
The cat was taken to the Denver Animal Shelter for a medical evaluation and will be placed on a four to five day hold. It will then be eligible for adoption if unclaimed.
"We're not heroes. We're just doing our job," Jonke said. "Somebody called and we're a bunch of big softies down here at Station 8, so we wanted to make sure we took care of that cat."
(© 2016 KUSA)
