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Firefighters Rescue Calf While Battling Massive Wildfire In America

Firefighters Rescue Calf While Battling Massive Wildfire In America

"It was one small victory but we'll take it.​"

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Firefighters battling a massive inferno in America have come off with a small win after saving a calf from being incinerated.

Some US states have been overwhelmed over the past few weeks with wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and dozens of lives.

The Douglas Forest Protective Association said over the weekend that they managed to save a baby cow from a similar fate while they were tackling a fire on a blueberry field.

PA

Writing on Facebook, the Association said: "This has definitely been a hectic week with many stories to tell...some good and others not so good. But this morning, we're focusing on the positive.

"This picture was taken during the initial attack of the French Creek Fire which burned 495 acres about a mile northwest of Glide.

"While our crews were working on the fire, five cows and this calf were in a bad spot with fire advancing their way. In the chaos of the moment, this little guy got stuck in a patch of blackberries that were on fire!

"Luckily, we had an engine crew in the area that were able to keep the flames back while our firefighters went in and pulled the calf out of harm's way! It was one small victory but we'll take it."

Oregon officials haven't released a human death toll from the latest fires but Governor Kate Brown has warned that this could be the 'greatest loss of human lives and property due to wildfire in our state's history'.

PA

Around 1,500 sq miles of land has been burned to a crisp in Oregon alone, which is more than double a typical wildfire year.

The total damage across several western states is estimated to be around 4.6 million acres.

Elizabeth Smith has lost everything in the blazes and told KATU-TV: "Our homes are absolutely destroyed. I've seen a few videos and photos and my lovely little house that we remodelled 12 years ago in this beautiful canyon area is absolutely flattened. It looks as though a bomb went off."

There are 25 fires in California, 16 in Washington state, 13 in Oregon and 10 in Idaho, with other blazes also being recorded in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, according to CNN.

In California, there are three of the biggest wildfires the state has ever seen burning all at once.

Featured Image Credit: The Douglas Forest Protective Association/Facebook

Topics: News, US News, Animals