Trapped kitten rescued from drain pipe in Speers Hill

Firefighters had to use creative methods to lure the animal out.

What started as cries coming from beneath the ground in Speers Hill ended with firefighters digging through dirt and storm piping Saturday night to rescue a trapped kitten.

Charleroi Fire Department Chief Robert Whiten Jr. said crews were dispatched around 8 p.m. Saturday to a Phillips Street home after residents reported hearing a kitten crying and purring from inside a drain.

According to Whiten, some- one had seen the kitten disappear into the drain.

Firefighters discovered the animal had fallen into a section of underground drain pipe where part of the line had separated beneath the property. It was about 30 feet inside, Whiten said.

Firefighters removed a tree and part of a gutter before digging about three feet down to access the drain.

They used a confined-space camera to locate the kitten inside the narrow pipe and attempted to coax it toward one end of the drain system.

When that failed, firefighters grabbed shovels and began digging.

Whiten said crews dug about three feet into the ground to reach the split section of pipe where the kitten was trapped.

Firefighters then came up with another plan — using a large leaf blower to push air through one end of the drain while monitoring the kitten’s movement on camera from the other side.

“You could see the shadow moving,” Whiten said. “Then its little head popped up.”

Firefighters quickly wrapped the kitten in a towel and safely pulled it from the drain to cheers and relief from those gathered nearby.

Whiten said the kitten appeared unharmed following the rescue.

“It was definitely a happy ending,” Whiten said.