Lake Firefighters Rescuing Brandie from a deep abandoned well

Leesburg, FL – Lake County Firefighters came to the aid of a four legged friend early Saturday afternoon. The missing pet sheppard mix was found at the bottom of an orange grove well about 20 feet deep in the Sunnyside area of Leesburg.

Lake County Firefighters and Special Operations Team were called to assist in the rescue of the missing pup. “It may seem simple, but when you are entering a confined space such as an old well, there are numerous dangers that you can encounter. They did the right thing by calling our firefighters out to rescue the dog out of the well. When you start getting that deep into the ground, you have the risk of collapse and unknown underground gases. You need to have professionals such as our special operations team to enter that environment because you never know what you may find” explains Lt. Brian Gamble, Vice President of the Professional Firefighters of Lake County.

“Our guys and girls care about animals just about as much as they do humans. We want to help our four legged friends anytime we can. They are man’s best friend”.

The firefighters monitored the air in the well before making entry with a ladder to retrieve the dog. They then donned special breathing apparatus when they went down into the well do ensure there were no hazardous gases while rescuing the dog.

Lt. Kris Bush, a Special Operations officer on one of Lake County’s three squads went in to rescue the dog.

“He was very happy to be out of that deep hole. We are not sure how long he was down there, but he has been reunited with his family and is now safe and sound” Gamble states. The well has been temporarily covered by a pallet until the owners of the property can be contacted to fill the well in.