A 20-year-old horse was hoisted to safety Wednesday after being trapped to her chest for nearly three hours in a backyard sinkhole in the San Fernando Valley.
A team of 61 firefighters, along with animal control and sanitation workers, responded to the 10400 block of West Foothill Boulevard at around 12:35 p.m. Wednesday to assist “Lucky,” a 1,200-pound Paso Fino female equine, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Lucky had suddenly sunk in soft soil that developed into a deep sinkhole in the rear yard of her home shortly after noon, approximately 75 yards from the nearest road.
According to LAFD spokesman Brian Humphrey, the horse was in minimal to moderate distress as rescuers worked to remove soil and devise a plan to airlift the animal utilizing a specialized harness.
Lucky was successfully hoisted out of the hole at about 3:25 p.m. and assisted by the animal control officers in slowly walking from the yard. She was being evaluated by an on-site veterinarian.
“Though there have been strong rainstorms in the area in recent days, the specific cause of the sinkhole and horse becoming trapped cannot be formally determined by firefighters,” Humphrey said.
City News Service contributed to this article.