Horse trapped in sinkhole in Lake View Terrace is hoisted to safety
A 20-year-old horse was hoisted to safety Wednesday after being trapped to her chest for nearly three hours in a back yard sinkhole in Lake View Terrace.
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 gets a shower after the help of heavy equipment and a massive team of specialists, Los Angeles firefighters were able to rescue a 1,200-pound horse that sank into a hole Wednesday, Lake View Terrace CA, Feb 21, 2024.
(Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)
With the help of heavy equipment and a team of specialists, Los Angeles firefighters were able to rescue a 1,200-pound horse that sank into a hole Wednesday in Lake View Terrace.
(Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)
With the help of heavy equipment and a team of specialists, Los Angeles firefighters were able to rescue a 1,200-pound horse that sank into a hole Wednesday in Lake View Terrace.
(Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)
With the help of heavy equipment and a team of specialists, Los Angeles firefighters were able to rescue a 1,200-pound horse that sank into a hole Wednesday in Lake View Terrace.
(Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)
With the help of heavy equipment and a team of specialists, Los Angeles firefighters were able to rescue a 1,200-pound horse that sank into a hole Wednesday in Lake View Terrace.
(Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)
With the help of heavy equipment and a team of specialists, Los Angeles firefighters were able to rescue a 1,200-pound horse that sank into a hole Wednesday in Lake View Terrace.
(Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)
With the help of heavy equipment and a team of specialists, Los Angeles firefighters were able to rescue a 1,200-pound horse that sank into a hole Wednesday in Lake View Terrace.
(Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)
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.