It started with the sound of a fox crying behind a wall. By the time firefighters got to a home in Leicester, they found three orphaned cubs stuck in a gap just 15 centimetres wide.

The 12-week-old fox cubs were rescued on Easter Sunday, April 5, after becoming trapped between two walls at a garage on Letchworth Road.

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said crews were called after neighbours reported they could hear a fox in distress.

A spokesperson for the fire service said: “Our Technical Rescue Team from Southern Station were called to a house on Letchworth Road in Leicester, where a fox could be heard trapped between two buildings.

“They were given permission to remove brickwork from the garage by the homeowner, and found not one, not two, but three trapped cubs.”

Firefighters smashed through the brickwork and chipped it away to reach the animals, which were wedged in the narrow space between the two walls.

All three cubs were pulled out alive.

The fire service said one of the cubs needed oxygen therapy and was treated using a specialist mask designed for small animals before the animals were handed over for care.

The spokesperson said: “All were recovered safely, with one given oxygen therapy via our specialist mask for small animals, and were then left with the RSPCA for treatment. What a fantastic result.

“Remember – never attempt to rescue an animal in distress if it means putting yourself in danger – always contact the appropriate animal rescue organisation.”

The cubs were then taken to Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital.

A spokesperson for the hospital said: “It’s an incredible rescue by the Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service. The three fox cubs are now safely in our care.

“One is separated from the others as it’s still on fluid, she’s not very well.

“The other two are doing well, they’re feeding well. They’re with us until the winter, so another six months, and we’ll release them around October time. It’s the time where they’re the right age.”

The hospital said the sick cub would stay apart from its siblings while it remained on fluids.

The spokesperson said staff would try to reunite the cub with the other two once it had fully recovered.

“When the other one is 100% we’ll try and integrate them with the siblings and, when they’re old enough, they’ll get moved outside and then to a bigger enclosure,” the spokesperson said.

The hospital said the cubs would stay in care until winter and would then be released, likely around October, when they are old enough.

It also said staff would gradually reduce the animals’ contact with people.

“We’ll eventually try and limit exposure. We don’t hang onto them, they’ll go in winter time. The aim is to not imprint them. If they have siblings they’re less likely to imprint on us,” the spokesperson said.

The rescue happened after reports from neighbours led crews to the property, where they found the three cubs trapped in the gap between the walls of the garage.

The fire service said the homeowner gave permission for the brickwork to be removed so the cubs could be freed.

One cub remains separated from the others and is still on fluids, while the other two are feeding well, according to Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital.

📸 Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service via Storyful