Rescuers: Wolfie in Hammersmith after the three-hour operation British Gas
LONDON, ENGLAND – A busy west London road was partially closed one recent morning after a kitten got stuck in a van’s engine and was stuck in there for three hours.
Drivers on Hammersmith Road faced delays after the cat had ran in front of a British Gas engineer’s van and into a compartment of his engine at around 9am.
Charlie Goodchild, who was on his way to fix a boiler at that time, was forced to call out the RSPCA but they were unable to access the trapped animal and needed to phone the fire crew.
Kensington fire station watch manager Thomas Wolfe and colleagues then had to strip away the van’s undercarriage in order to get the cat out, with the animal’s whole ordeal lasting around three hours.
Mr Wolfe stated: “It was such a tiny kitten it was quite hard to find as it had got itself right into the engine.
“It took me about 45 minutes to locate him and get him safely out. I was relieved to see him unharmed as I handed him over to the RSPCA.”
RSPCA workers, who have named the animal Wolfie after the fireman who saved him, say he is now recuperating well at their Putney animal hospital.
Mr Goodchild said: “It’s not every day that a kitten jumps into your engine. I certainly wasn’t expecting it.
“When the fire brigade lifted my van and rescued Wolfie, I was amazed and delighted that he had no marks and is as right as rain.”
The road was partially-closed during the rescue, which was over at around 12pm.
