PHILADELPHIA, PA (WPVI/CNN) - Emergency crews responded to a dairy farm in Pennsylvania on Saturday evening to rescue a child that became trapped inside a manure pit.
Emergency crews responded to a barn to find a little boy trapped underneath a manure pit that was 10-feet deep and spanned underneath the barn housing dairy cows.
"He was unable to get to him because of the thickness of the manure. So, we pulled back out focused our efforts on ventilation," said Deputy Chief Jake Bailey.
Honey Brook Fire Company called for a team that specializes in confined agricultural rescues.
Bailey knew they had to convince the little boy to stay still until the team arrived.
"His whole body was actually sitting on the maneuver. So, he was completely above the maneuver. But if he would have moved around a lot, it would have been a different story. The manure is kind of like quicksand, so the more you move, the more you sink," said Bailey.
Mud from the heavy rains made rescue efforts difficult. A fire engine became stuck in the mud.
Fire crews repaired baseboards for crews to safely reach the child.
"Once they arrived, they had guys in suits and harnesses and we were able to send them down in with taglines and crawl across the plywood that was set up to be able to get to the child," said Bailey.
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