Rescue Archives - Page 2 of 3

Firefighters rescue baby locked in car in Ripon

Firefighters from Ripon rescued a baby that was locked inside a car in the city yesterday.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report for last night said firefighters were called to Rotary Way at 6pm.

Rotary Way is a short distance from Ripon Fire Station’s site on Stonebridgegate and is the location of St Michael’s Retail Park, which includes M&S Simply Food.

The circumstances surrounding the incident are not revealed in detail.

The incident log added:

“Crews used small tools also with the assistance of a civilian mechanic at the scene.

“The baby was left in the hands of parents, advice given.”

Knaresborough woman describes pelican recapture as ‘pure madness’

The Knaresborough resident who alerted Blackpool Zoo to the presence of its missing pelican at Hay-a-Park has described Wednesday as the “craziest day of her life”.

Chantelle Wilfan spotted the Eastern white pelican on the lake at around 10.15am while taking her son, three-year-old Leo, for a walk.

Told by a birdwatcher it must be the one that had escaped earlier in the month, she called Blackpool Zoo, which immediately dispatched a posse of zookeepers to take the bird into custody.

Chantelle, who watched the action unfold with Leo and her mother, Debbie Pedel, told the Stray Ferret:

“The keepers arrived mid-afternoon and said they needed a boat. I suggested [Blenkhorn’s Boats on] Waterside and Ripon Sailing Club, but they were closed. So, we rang around people we knew and luckily, my cousin’s husband, Chris McMillan, had a canoe, so the keepers went round to collect it.

“They spent some time trying to get close to the pelican, and one even fell out and had to start swimming, but after about 40 minutes we heard a shout from across the lake to say they’d got it, and we all gave a cheer.

“It was an absolutely incredible experience being with the keepers and watching this incredible pelican. They’re the nicest, kindest men I’ve ever met. They were very calm and worked together as a team. They were absolutely there for that bird – they were so professional.

“The whole thing – spotting the pelican, chasing round for a boat, and watching the keepers catch it – was pure madness. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. It has to have been the craziest day of my life.”

As reported by the Stray Ferret yesterday, the pelican was scared by gulls and blown away by a gust of wind on August 4 – the day Storm Antoni blew in off the Atlantic.

Photo taken by Knaresborough resident Chantelle Wilfan of the juvenile pelican that had escaped from Blackpool Zoo, and which she spotted at Hay-a-Park.

The juvenile pelican ended up 65 miles away from its home in Blackpool. Photo: Chantelle Wilfan.

Blackpool Zoo paid tribute to Chantelle and her family in a statement issued following the rescue:

“Particular thanks goes to a wonderful family in Knaresborough who saw keepers trying to reach the pelican in the lake on Wednesday and brought a kayak for them to use – without their kind gesture and support, the rescue would not have been possible.”

The statement added:

“It was extremely important for us to rescue this pelican and return it to its flock as they are very social birds and, as a non-native species, it needed to be back with its own kind.

“The pelican is now in our animal hospital, where it has been given a full health check, had its wings clipped and will be quarantined before being returned to the flock in the near future.

“We look forward to seeing it out and about on pelican lake with the rest of its family soon, and we are sure that, now it is a local celebrity, lots of people will want to come and see it!”

The Eastern white pelican, also known as the great white pelican, is native to southeastern Europe, Asia and Africa.

Dalmatian pelicans once thrived in the wetlands of what is now East Yorkshire, Norfolk and Somerset, but were driven to extinction about 2,000 years ago.

Boy rescued in freezing conditions from River Nidd in Knaresborough

A boy was rescued from the River Nidd in Knaresborough in bitterly cold conditions yesterday.

The full circumstances surrounding the incident, which happened just before 4.30pm, remain unclear, as is the condition of the boy, who was taken to hospital by ambulance.

However he is not thought to have suffered serious injuries despite being in such cold water for a period of time.

Police and firefighters joined paramedics at the scene.

A Yorkshire Ambulance Service spokeswoman said:

“We received an emergency call at 4.18pm on Tuesday afternoon to reports of a teenager who had experienced a medical episode and fallen into the River Nidd at Knaresborough.

“Two ambulances and a rapid response vehicle were dispatched to the scene and one patient was conveyed to Harrogate District Hospital.”

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said:

“Police were contacted by the ambulance service at just before 4.30pm yesterday in relation to reports of a person in the River Nidd at Knaresborough.

“Officers attended the scene to assist the fire service and ambulance crew.

“The patient was conveyed to hospital in the care of the ambulance service.”

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log said it was summoned at 4.24pm to the river near Harrogate Road. The log added:

“Crews from Knaresborough and Harrogate responded to a young male in a river. The young male was rescue from the river and transported to hospital via road ambulance.”

The Stray Ferret was contacted by a member of the public who said local dog walker James Warburton had noticed the danger and rushed to help.

We contacted Mr Warburton, who confirmed he was involved but declined to comment further.

Man rescued after getting trapped under tree in Nidderdale

A man was rescued after he became trapped under a tree in Summerbridge today.

Crews from Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon were called at 9am to help the male, who got trapped after trying to fell a tree that was hanging dangerously over a road.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log said:

“Male had been rescued by contractors prior to fire service arrival.

“Male was given precautionary checks by paramedics but was discharged on scene with bruising and grazing. No action was required by fire service.

Strong overnight winds uprooted numerous trees across the district overnight, including two at Ripon Grammar School (see below).

The Stray Ferret asked the school about the incident but has not yet received any details.

Tree fell Jan 2023

Firefighters called to rescue horse in Ripon which turned out to be a sculpture

Firefighters called to rescue a horse trapped in floodwater discovered it was a metal sculpture in a field near Ripon.

Group manager Bob Hoskins, who works for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, tweeted about the incident today.

He said:

“An officer trotted off to check out the situation and discovered a statue of a horse in the middle of the field.

“There was ‘neigh’ further assistance required on this occasion.”

The silhouette sculpture is situated in a field close to the River Ure, which has burst it banks after heavy rain yesterday.

It has been there since 2018.

The ‘horse’ appears trapped in the distance. Pic: Bob Hoskins

Firefighters rescue family trapped on black ice in Nidderdale

Volunteer firefighters from Lofthouse rescued a family whose car was stuck on black ice last night.

The on-call firefighters were called to the notoriously steep Trapping Hill just outside the village at 6.50pm last night, on the final day of the recent freeze.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log said:the car “had become immobile on black ice” and the family had been informed it would take six hours for a recovery vehicle to attend. It added:

“Firefighters walked two adults and one child into the safety of Lofthouse village.”

The incident log also noted that fire crews do not recover vehicles.

Temperatures have risen sharply today after more than a week of sub-zero conditions.

Man rescued at Thruscross after fall

Fell rescuers were called to Thruscross reservoir in the Harrogate district yesterday to help a man who had fallen.

Volunteers from Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association were summoned at 1.30pm by Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

They were asked to assist a 35-year-old male who had ruptured the patellar tendon in his knee.

The man is helped into the ambulance.

It is believed the unnamed man, who was walking his dog at the time, slipped going down some steps at the far end of the reservoir.

The association said in a statement:

“After treatment by the ambulance crew the casualty was stretchered a kilometre back to the road ambulance at Whitmoor farm.”

Fifteen volunteers attended, because of the need to lift the man on a stretcher over stiles and gates.

Boy, 13, rescued at Brimham Rocks

Rescuers came to the aid of a teenage boy who got stuck at Brimham Rocks at the weekend.

Volunteers from Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association were summoned to the National Trust-owned site at about 2pm on Saturday.

A 13-year-old boy had climbed to the top of one of the rocks but then felt unable to navigate his way down safely.

The rescue association’s website said:

“Local members were able to calm the casualty until team vehicles arrived and a safe means of lowering the casualty back to the ground was rigged and a successful rescue was carried out.”

Derek Hammond, a volunteer for the rescue association, told the Stray Ferret it was a simple rescue and the boy did the right thing by seeking help rather than putting himself at risk of harm by trying to get down when he didn’t feel safe.

Eleven volunteers took part in the incident near Pateley Bridge, which was the group’s first call-out for two weeks.

While they were dealing with it they then received a second call, alerting them to concerns that a cave diver at Goyden Pot, near Lofthouse in Nidderdale, had not returned at the expected time.

The rescue association’s website said:

“As the controllers were working to call in specialist divers for this incident news was received that she had returned safely so the team stood down and diverted attention to an ongoing incident at Brimham Rocks.”

Six baby hedgehogs in Ripon rescued from bonfire at last minute

Six baby hedgehogs were lucky to escape alive after being found in a bonfire just before it was about to be lit.

Ramsgill-based hedgehog rescue centre, HAPPY (Hedgehog Appreciation Prickly Pals Yorkshire) was called by a vet in Ripon this week to say the animals had been found just in the nick of time.

Jacqui Morrell, who runs the centre with her husband Peter, said the lucky animals “had a close shave”.

Ms Morrell said hedgehogs like the secluded space offered by an unlit bonfire but many people don’t often think to look for them, or other animals, before lighting up.

She said:

“Bonfires are ideal homes for hedgehogs but people don’t always think about wildlife. There’s all sorts in bonfires and it’s not just hedgehogs.”

Ms Morrell added that the hedgehogs will eventually be released back into the area where they were found.

The centre was previously based in Ripon but recently moved to a larger property in Nidderdale.

The Morrells are currently looking after 40 hedgehogs where they will nurse them back to health before releasing them into the wild.

Hedgehogs are nocturnal and Ms Morrell said if you spot one in daylight hours, it means they are in trouble and need help.

If you see a hedgehog during the daytime call HAPPY on 07506 186567.

Ms Morrell added:

“Don’t delay if you see one out in the town.”

Boy, 11, rescued after falling at Brimham Rocks

An 11-year-old boy had to be rescued after falling at Brimham Rocks.

The young boy was coming down from one of the high rocks near the car park when he fell onto a grassy area on his arms.

Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association was summoned to help the boy. The team stretchered him to an ambulance where he was treated for arm injuries.

One of the association’s volunteers, Derek Hammond, said he thought the boy fell “about three or four metres”, putting his arms out to protect himself as he fell.

The volunteer rescue team were at the the National Trust-owned site near Pateley Bridge for 52 minutes.

Just last month, The Stray Ferret wrote about the latest young boy to fall from the rocks.

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more:

Read more: