An unlucky paradise duck which spent 10 days stuck in a chimney was finally freed alive yesterday.
The Methven Volunteer Fire Brigade was called upon shortly before 2pm yesterday, to help free it from the unused fireplace of a Thompsons Track house.
Methven fire chief Selwyn Allred said the duck had been stuck for a while, while the house’s occupants tried to work out the best way to free it.
In the end they decided to hand the job over to firefighters, who cut the bird free while a worried companion waited anxiously.
“There were two of them (ducks) sitting on top of the chimney and one of them fell down inside the chimney,” Mr Allred said.
He said the second one had hung around, waiting for its friend to come back.
But unable to get back up the chimney itself, the duck had to rely on manpower to help it fly free again.
Mr Allred said firefighters had to cut a small square hole in a wall to get to the duck.
The fireplace was no longer being used and had been boarded over during renovations.
The duck survived the ordeal and was happy to see firefighters once he was freed, although he was a little quiet.
But once it was taken outside and given the opportunity to flap its wings, within no time it was happily swimming about on the nearby pond with its mate.
Firefighters went home with one hang of a story to tell; one they’d never been able to tell before.
“It was certainly unique. I can’t say we’ve had many duck rescues before,” Mr Allred said.
The duck rescue was the start of a busy afternoon for the brigade, called to a transformer fire on Barkers Road shortly after, at 3.07pm, and then to a car crash on Waimarama Road shortly before 4pm.
A car had left the road and hit trees but the driver was not believed to have been seriously injured.
Source: ashburtonguardian