Earthquake team rescues dog Milo

A dog found himself at the centre of a huge rescue effort after chasing a rabbit into a 20-ton pile of wood.

Milo then became trapped in the unlit bonfire which was in a field in Swanmore, Hampshire.

Fortunately for the Jack Russell, Hampshire's urban search and rescue team, including volunteers trained in earthquake rescues was training nearby.

Using special equipment to shore up the pile and a thermal-imaging camera, they finally freed him on Sunday morning.

It was the fact that 20 tons of timber were hovering over the pooch that made it difficult, Mike Gates, Hampshire Fire and Rescue

While animal rescues are not unusual for the Hampshire force - previous rescues include a horse which got its head stuck in a gate - this one was to prove particularly difficult.

The rescue operation, which ended nearly 24 hours later and involved 19 firefighters and liaison, started at 1245 BST on Saturday.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue spokesman Mike Gates said the stack of timber, thought to be a bonfire pile, was the size of a house and could have collapsed on top of firefighters.

"It was the fact that 20 tons of timber were hovering over the pooch that made it difficult," he told BBC News Online.

'Rather unusual operation'

"As soon as [the first firefighters] got there, they decided this was a rather unusual operation and they would need some additional equipment and support."

They reported back to headquarters in Eastleigh, where the force's Urban Search and Rescue Team were training, among them local firefighters who are sent to overseas disasters, such as the earthquake in Bam, Iran.

They used special equipment to "shore up" the structure before cutting their way in, continuing to support wood around them so they would not be crushed.

The search was called off overnight, but the team returned in the morning and at 1100 BST rescuers reached Milo.

Mr Gates added: "The RSPCA were called and consulted throughout the operation, they checked him over and he seems to be fine."