SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- You have heard about firefighters rescuing cats from trees, or people and pets from burning buildings, but there was a somewhat unusual rescue during a fire in South Bend.
The South Bend Fire Department rescued a couple of raccoons Monday that were trapped on top of a burning warehouse in northern Indiana.
The large warehouse fire drew a crowd of spectators, including Paul Bierwagen, who took cell phone video of the scene and the rescue, later posted to Facebook.
The video shows two ladders latched together so that firefighters could reach the top of the building. Then two raccoons emerge from the smoke from the roof of the warehouse. The two critters are then seen using the ladder to get down. Children watching the fire are heard cheering after the rescue.
The South Bend Fire Department said some people would ask "why save the raccoons," and some people did.
"Life safety and property conservation are two priorities on a fire scene. Thanks to our crews for taking a few minutes to let the raccoons escape!" the department wrote on Facebook.