Dramatic bird rescue caught on camera as California firefighters save trapped hawk

A fire department in California captured a dramatic rescue on camera — but it wasn’t quite what you might expect.

The Alameda County Fire Department responded to a hawk in distress, video posted on Twitter shows. The bird got caught in netting on the roof of a gas station in Newark, according to the fire department.

Two firefighters climbed a ladder to the top of the station and found the hawk’s wing tangled in the netting. One of them held the bird steady while the other cut through the net.

It took the duo 15 minutes to free the hawk, the fire department tweeted. After the hawk was freed, the Newark Police Department took the bird “to a clinic.”

The fire department’s tweet thanked the police department for “providing support and traffic control for the rescue.”

This story was originally published October 27, 2020 at 12:25 PM with the headline "Dramatic bird rescue caught on camera as California firefighters save trapped hawk."