Washington firefighters rescue horse from 14-foot sinkhole

April 12 (UPI) -- A group of firefighters in Washington lead a horse to safety after it fell into a deep sinkhole on Tuesday.

Kittitas County Fire District #7 shared a photo of the stranded horse, Copper, as it stood at the bottom of a 14-foot deep sinkhole.

The horse's owner found the animal trapped in the sinkhole on his property, which firefighters estimated was about five feet wide on the surface and between 10 and 12 feet wide underground.

Kittitas firefighters lowered a veterinarian into the hole to check on the horse, while a neighbor used an excavator to dig a trench that served as a ramp out of the sinkhole.

"The best part was when the rescued horse got out, he neighed to his buddies and another 10 horses came bolting over to see if he was OK," Firefighter Katie Schmidt said.

The rescue took about two hours, but the group was eventually able to lead Copper out of the hole where he was determined to be ok despite being cold and dehydrated.

"With the help of a veterinarian, neighbors, and the owner, Copper is now safe and sound," the fire department said. "Glad we were able to lend a hand!"