The Victoria Fire Department received an unusual call on Thursday morning.
Two dogs and their owner were trapped in an elevator in a residential building in the 800-block of Johnson Street.
“The door was damaged when the occupant entered the car, and the leash was left out,” said Deputy Fire Chief Dan Atkinson. “When the door moved, the leash snagged and caused the doors to become unhinged.”
When firefighters arrived on scene, the elevator was stuck between two floors, and the doors could only be cracked open.
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“We first were able to get a folding chair through so the gentleman could sit down, and then provided food and water to the dogs to calm them down,” Atkinson said. “It wasn’t your run-of-the-mill elevator entrapment.”
The large dogs and the owner could not fit through the gap, so power was cut to the elevator and then the car was accessed through the hatch on the roof from the floor above.
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The dogs and the man were all safely removed from the elevator using a ladder through the hatch.
The entire operation took just under two hours. Total financial damages to the elevator are yet to be determined.
“This is the first instance I’ve seen where a leash has done physical damage to the doors,” Atkinson said. “I guess this is a reminder to make sure your leash has cleared the door before using an elevator.”
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