Purr-fect rescue: Fire crew saves kitten stuck on 25-ft-high pillar

Kanpur: Fire crew turned saviours on Wednesday, averting a ‘cat-astrophe’ when an SOS revealed a kitten stranded between a 25-foot-high concrete pillar and wall. Driven up by stray dogs and marooned under a merciless sun, the kitten’s plight drew locals to alert authorities.

With practiced calm, the crew plucked the creature from its exile, earning them a hero’s ovation and a thunderous applause from onlookers.Eyewitnesses said the two-month-old feline got stranded on the pillar between two buildings in Babupurwa after being chased up by a pack of stray dogs. Locals tried to bring it down but failed. They then alerted the fire brigade. A team from Kidwainagar fire station arrived with a ladder and, after a one-hour rescue operation, brought the kitten down safely.Begampurwa resident and social worker, Sabir Husain, said locals contacted the animal helpline and fire brigade after failing to rescue the kitten themselves. A team from Kidwainagar fire station reached the spot and brought the kitten down safely using a ladder and rope. “Onlookers expressed relief and praised the fire brigade personnel for saving the young animal,” he added.As the kitten was handed down, the crowd erupted in cheers. “They are real heroes,” said Meena Devi, a local watching the rescue.

“No one else could have done this so bravely. The fire team saved a life today,” she added.A video of the rescue is now viral on social media, with users praising the firefighters and the local social worker.Chief fire officer Deepak Sharma lauded his team’s commendable work, saying no praise was enough, and also commended the social worker’s efforts.