Child gets secured with rope by firefighter for retrieval from fir tree in Centralia. / Courtesy photo by Riverside Fire Authority
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Centralia firefighters rescued a boy who climbed a tree to rescue a cat and got stuck about 30 feet above the ground today.
A crew called about 12:15 p.m. to the 2500 block of Colonial Drive west of Providence Centralia Hospital found the child standing on and clinging to some branches, according to Riverside Fire Authority.
The 11-year-old boy was trying to catch a cat that had been in the fir tree for an extended period of time, according to the fire department. He wasn’t injured, but was afraid to climb back down, according to Fire Capt. Scott Weinert.
They attempted to use their ladder truck to reach the boy, but the tree was far enough off the road, they couldn’t because the truck needed to be parked on the road. The Chehalis Fire Department’s ladder truck had the same issue, according to Weinert.
A firefighter climbed the tree while rigged with a climbing harness and rope. He reached the victim, secured him to the rope and they descended together.
The 11-year-old was cold, but unharmed, Weinert said. He was checked by medics and released to his mother.
The cat found its own way to the ground during the rescue operation.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter