KOTA KINABALU: In a departure from their normal duties, firemen answering a distress call in Lahad Datu were called on to rescue a stray dog that had fallen into a manhole.

       The canine had apparently stumbled into the 15-feet deep hole at Tamaco Plantation, off Jalan Kimbell, on Thursday (May 5).

       Lahad Datu fire station chief Sumsoa Rashid said a team was dispatched to the area upon receiving the distress call at 7.29am.

       On establishing that it was a dog trapped in the manhole, he said, one of his personnel then rappelled down the hole before retrieving the trapped canine from the bottom of the pit.

       “We tied a simple bowline on the dog before the other firemen above the ground pulled them up.

       “As soon as the dog was rescued, we cleaned the debris off it before letting it go,” he said when contacted.

       Shouts of joy could be heard from bystanders in a video shared by the department when the dog was finally rescued.

       Sumsoa said although some of the firemen were celebrating Hari Raya, they did not mind being out when duty comes calling.

       “We are impartial in carrying out our duties and will respond to any emergency, including rescuing trapped animals.

       “In this case, we wanted to make sure the dog was safe even though it is a stray,” he said.