WINFIELD, Ind.  — An Indiana town marshal wielding a chain saw rescued a horse that became wedged between two branches of a tree trunk amid subzero cold .

Winfield Town Marshal Dan Ball says the horse somehow became stuck in the multi-trunked tree Wednesday morning in the town about 15 miles (25 kilometers) south of Gary.

He told The (Northwest Indiana) Times that he feared the horse might die because it collapsed at one point and was growing weak with the temperature hovering near minus 20 degrees (minus 28 Celsius).

But when a neighbor brought a chain saw to the scene, Ball braved the frigid conditions for 45 minutes to cut away branches until the horse was able to pull free.