COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. – Fire and other emergency crews rushed to a Virginia home to free a girl from a folding couch Wednesday.
"It sounded like a very odd call. I wanted to see what was going on," Colonial Heights Fire Chief AG Moore told WTVR-TV. "I've never seen anything like it."
The young caller told police that another child was stuck inside a sofa.
"When I arrived to the home, the medic unit was already there," Chief Moore said.
When the chief entered the home's sun room, he said he saw emergency crews assessing the situation. The chief was told two girls -- approximately 12 years of age -- were playing hide-and-seek.
During the game, one of the girls got folded into a sleeper sofa. Her friend was not strong enough to get her back out.
"It's a situation where those sofa beds can be awkward and heavy to begin with," Chief Moore said. "When you have a child in there, it takes a lot to pull her out with the additional weight."
After confirming the child was simply folded into the sofa, and not stuck on any metal pieces, it took emergency crews about two minutes to free the child.
"When she got out, she was fine," the chief said.
Firefighters stayed around to speak with the girl's parents when they came home, to let them know what happened and that everyone was OK.
"Don't try this at home," Chief Moore advised. "Pick another spot to play hide and seek."
