This is a story that will make animal lovers cheer! You’ve heard of firefighters rescuing cats from trees and dogs from frozen ponds, well, this story is about Southlake Firefighters who went above and beyond the call to rescue a Southlake resident’s beloved cat that became stuck in a storm drain.  When the call came in around 6:00 p.m. Tuesday evening (December 23rd) firefighters went to work!  

They arrived at the location, the 1300 block of Pecos Dr. within minutes. Upon arrival, firefighters could hear the faint cry of a cat trapped in a storm drain.  They are trained for confined space rescues so they were prepared for such a rescue.

They lowered one firefighter down into the manhole. It was dark and damp and visibility was limited. They could hear the cat but it had wandered an additional 250 feet further into the pipeline. Firefighters reached out to members from the City’s Public Works department who came without a moment’s hesitation. They also came equipped with a camera that could be thread down into the pipeline to see exactly where the cat was located.

As the hours ticked by, firefighters from “A” shift continued to work to reach the cat and help coax it out of the pipe.  Finally, after more than two hours and multiple firefighters working to rescue the cat, a Southlake Firefighter emerged from the manhole with the cat cradled in his hands, safe and sound.

Deputy Fire Chief Wade Carroll said, “It’s not everyday that we get rescue calls of this kind, but when we do, our training kicks in and it’s great to see how our firefighters responded and helped to reunite a beloved family pet with its owner.”

The reunion with the cat and its owner makes for a great early Christmas present and a very happy ending.