Columbus firefighters rescue animals in need

Columbus firefighters rescued two animals from precarious positions this week.

According to reports, Columbus Fire Department was called to rescue a juvenile beaver who was trapped in a six-foot-deep dry drain at Tipton Lakes. Firefighters were called to the scene near Goeller Road and Heron Drive at about 8 Monday night. They found that the beaver appeared healthy and not in distress, it just had no way to get itself free.

Firefighters entered the drain with a small box and were able to safely trap and remove the beaver. The entire rescue took about 15 minutes.

Yesterday morning, firefighters were called to Central Middle School after school officials noticed a cat clinging to the exterior wall of the school, about 40 feet above the ground.

Recognizing that the cat was about two feet from the roof, firefighters went to the top and found the cat clinging to a vine-covered lattice. After donning fall protection gear and gloves, and making sure a tarp was in place to catch the cat should it fall, a firefighter and school resource officer grabbed the cat, carried it to the ground and then released it. That rescue took about 19 minutes.