Wash. Firefighters Help Two Boys Out of Tree

April 09--Vancouver firefighters on Monday afternoon rescued two boys who were stuck 40 feet up a tree.

The two boys, ages 7 and 10, climbed about 40 feet up a tree at 8821 N.E. 104th St. in the Sunnyside neighborhood, said Capt. Dave James, a Vancouver fire spokesman.

The rescue effort started around 1:05 p.m. when a Clark Public Utilities worker heard branches breaking and saw the two boys, who asked him for help, James said.

Vancouver's Engine 7 arrived 6 minutes later and called for a ladder truck to help get the boys down. After Truck 5 arrived, it extended its aerial ladder into the tree. Firefighter John Windus climbed the ladder and attached a harness to each boy and brought them down individually, James said.

Both boys were uninjured after the ordeal.

The boys' mom was at work and an older brother who was watching them left when the boys climbed the tree, James said.

Helping someone get out of a tree isn't something that happens every day, James said. "It's actually pretty rare."

James said the fire department usually gets more requests to rescue trapped cats. It doesn't have the resources to rescue felines, but children are another matter, he said.

A neighbor, Pamela Sillars, said she came home and saw police officers at the scene. By that time, the ladder truck had left the scee.

She described the boys as "adventurous" and said the two have been known to climb onto rooftops and up her maple tree.

"They are nice boys," she said. "I'm glad they weren't hurt."

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Copyright 2012 - The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash.