A sheep trapped in a river near a historic aqueduct was rescued in a rapid emergency response.
On Monday, August 24, fire crews from Bradford on Avon and from Bath Fire Station raced to Dundas aqueduct after reports that the animal had fallen in the water.
The crews used a rescue raft, and specialist animal rescue equipment, and successfully retrieved the sheep, which was unharmed and returned to its field.
The incident was one of several the crew based at the Bradford on Avon station raced to over the past two days.
The station’s crew was also mobilised to a large fire in Trowbridge involving allotments, sheds, and greenhouses on August 23.
A fire in Southwick that affected more than a kilometre of land saw the crew attend alongside multiple units and police at around 2.48pm.
The team finally returned back to the station at 8.15pm as relief teams took over.
Sharing an update on the incidents, a spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service said: “It’s been a busy couple of days for our crew, attending three very different incidents.
“[August 23 at 9.02pm] Mobilised alongside Trowbridge to a fire involving multiple allotments, sheds and greenhouses.
“Crews arrived to a well-developed fire and quickly requested assistance to make pumps 4, with crews from Melksham and Warminster subsequently mobilised.
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“The fire was tackled using 10 breathing apparatus wearers, multiple main line jets and hose reel jets. We returned to home station at approximately 1.20am.
“[August 24 at 11.26am] Mobilised alongside Bath Fire Station to Dundas Aqueduct for a sheep that had fallen into the river and become trapped.
“Using a water rescue raft and animal rescue equipment, crews successfully rescued the sheep, which was thankfully unharmed and returned to its field.
“We then proceeded to standby at Trowbridge Fire Station while their crews attended another incident.
“[August 24 at 2.48pm] Less than 10 minutes after arriving at Trowbridge, the bells went down again for a field fire in Southwick.
“Crews arrived to find a significantly developed and rapidly escalating fire.
“Multiple assistance messages were sent, with the final request being for 6 pumps, 2 off road vehicles, 1 water carrier and a Command Support Unit, alongside assistance from a Wiltshire Police Drone Team.
“Working against surprisingly strong winds, crews worked tirelessly to bring the fire under control and prevent further spread.
"The fire unfortunately affected an estimated 1-2km.
“We returned to home station at approximately 2015hrs, once relief crews arrived to monitor hotspots overnight.
“A huge effort from everyone involved across all three incidents.
“Thank you to all neighbouring crews and partner agencies for their assistance and teamwork!”
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