CalFire, Riverside Firefighters Unable To Rescue Scared Pooch From Sinkhole

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com)  —   CAL Fire and Riverside Firefighters pulled out all the stops Saturday to rescue a little dog who fell down a big sinkhole but their efforts were in vain.

The rescue operations began Saturday afternoon in the 11000 block of Kitching Street in Moreno Valley, authorities said.

Firefighters on scene requested a back hoe and a vacuum truck to extract the dog.

When firefighters arrived on scene they had a visual of the dog and could hear the animal barking and moaning.

It was determined that a septic system has failed on the property, causing the sinkhole.

While attempting to secure the area another sink hole; approximately 20 feet deep; was found.

The frightened dog tried to move away from the rescue efforts, and personnel on scene lost visual of the dog.

For about an hour, rescuers looked for the dog while having to determine if the ground above was also safe. It was later determined the ground was too unsafe to locate and rescue the dog due to the unstable grounds.