Mernda man rescued from hole after trying to help dog

A man who was trying to rescue a dog had to be rescued himself after becoming trapped in a hole in Mernda.

The man, in his late 40s, was apparently trying to rescue a dog when he fell down a hole in a backyard in Mernda about 12.40pm.

He has been taken to the Austin hospital with unknown injuries.

‘‘I presume he was the occupant of the house but that hasn’t been confirmed,’’ said a spokeswoman for the Country Fire Brigade.

‘‘It was on a private residence between a swimming pool and a fence. I’m not sure of the type of hole but was only 1.5 metres deep.

‘‘I think it was quite muddy and he got stuck in the mud.’’

The CFA spokeswoman said that 10 fire trucks, containing a total of 40 firefighters, attended the rescue. However, not all the fire trucks were there at the same time, she said

A spokeswoman for Victoria Police said the man was trying to rescue a dog.

‘‘He was trying to get a dog out. The dog got out and then he got stuck,’’ said the spokeswoman.

‘‘It looks like he’s just got grazes and that sort of thing.’’