WEST PITTSTON -- Friday was a busy afternoon for first responders in one part of Luzerne County. Only that they weren't rescuing people -- they were rescuing animals in distress all across West Pittston!
A scared black cat found himself lodged in a chimney along Wyoming Avenue. A woman claims she heard it meowing, and when she found the cat in the shed -- converted from an old stone home -- the frightened feline ran away.
Just a few streets over, however, people are preoccupied with a real bear of a problem -- a black bear in a tree!
That call came in along Exeter Avenue -- just a few blocks from the feline friend -- and when Newswatch 16 crews made it on scene, the bear seemed pretty peaceful. He was taking a nap in the tree, but neighbors in West Pittston are afraid of what the bear will do when it gets down.
The Game Commission says the bear will come down at nightfall, having been cozy up in the tree since sometime Friday morning. Officials tell us they don't want to tranquilize the bear because it is located very high at the top of the tree, and officials don't want to hurt it in case of a fall.
Neighbors in the vicinity of the critter chaos were crowding around and taking pictures of the spectacle all throughout the day.
"I came out this morning to get in my truck and I hear grunting," said Debbie Lemardy of West Pittston. "And I'm looking all over the place, up and down the streets, couldn't figure it out. There's no bird even tweeting -- it was just too quiet -- and I'm looking around, and I look up in the tree...and then there's this huge bear!"