Columbus Station 5 firefighters rescued a mother duck and ducklings trapped inside a floor drain of Dirt Buster Car Wash, 67 Johnson Blvd. at 7:40 a.m. Saturday.
When firefighters arrived, they were told by a car wash employee that the ducks were found near the floor drain that spans the entire length of the car wash, said Capt. Mike Wilson, Columbus Fire Department spokesman.
The employee then discovered that additional ducklings had entered the floor drain near the area that the mother duck and ducklings were discovered.
With Columbus Animal Care Services on their way to the scene, firefighters gained access to the ducklings through the removal of the floor drain covering. Firefighters safely removed four ducklings which were turned over to Columbus Animal Care Services staff for evaluation.
At that time Animal Care Services staff cleaned the ducklings and ensured no injuries had occurred during the incident, Wilson said. The ducklings were then released to the anxious mother duck who directed the family to a nearby retention pond.
This marks the third duckling rescue for Station 5 firefighters in the past two weeks, Wilson said.
In March, firefighters from the station responded to two separate incidents involving the rescue of a beaver that had entered a spillway drain. Thankfully, each successful rescue concluded with the animals being safely released back to the wild.
With the increased volume of animal rescue calls in the Tipton Lakes and Jonathon Moore Pike areas, which contain numerous lakes and retention ponds, firefighters asked that motorists and pedestrians to remain vigilant of wildlife encounters while driving and walking.
