April 14--Costa Mesa firefighters rescued nine ducklings from a storm drain after they dodged traffic and fell into the hole.
Two people walking by called firefighters and reported that the ducklings had fallen into the drain on Harbor Boulevard near the 405 Freeway on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Costa Mesa Fire Department.
"The mother duck was leading her ducklings and there was a wide enough opening for all of them to fall through," fire Capt. Chris Coates said.
Firefighters pried open the grate covering the drain, climbed in and corraled the ducklings, Coates said. The drain is about four feet deep, he said.
Video of the rescue shows the ducklings' mother watching anxiously from behind a chain link fence as the team pulled her babies out one by one and placed them into a large bag.
About 30 minutes later, the ducklings were reunited with their mother and waddled away.
The rescue team was happy to help the ducklings, Coates said.
"We are animal lovers ourselves," he said.
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