VIRAL VIDEO: Motorist pulls over along highway to rescue small, wild rabbit from raging wildfire

A motorist driving on Highway 101 adjacent to the Thomas Fire burning in Ventura County is being hailed a hero by animal lovers around the world after he hopped into action to save one small life threatened by the wild-land blaze, Thursday, Dec. 7.

Video posted to social media and highlighted on many news station’s coverage of the ongoing California wild fires showed the man, who has declined to be identified or interviewed, running towards a wild rabbit, which panicked and fled from the man – directly into the raging fire and sure-death, along the side of the highway.

After the “wascally wabbit” fled towards the flames, the man is seen on the video jumping up and down in horror – clearly fearing for the safety of the tiny hopper.

Then, with vehicles flying past at highway speeds, the man can be seen walking dangerously close towards the leaping flames before he bends over and scrambles to quickly scoop up the terrified and fluffy, but fire-singed creature.

After nearly fumbling and dropping the smoking bunny, the man can then be seen holding it in tight to his chest while trying to shield it from the smoke and nearby flames as he carries it away to safety.

The short, 30-second-long video, which was filmed by RMG News based out of Los Angeles, had been viewed more than 2.5 million times by the end of the first day and in spite of not wanting attention for his life-saving actions, many on social media immediately took to calling the man a humble hero.

Currently at 115,000 acres, the Thomas Fire is now the largest fire being fought by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and countless other local and California-based agencies.

More than 2,000 firefighters are battling the blaze, which has resulted in the confirmed death of one person already and destroyed 427 structures and damaged at least 85 more, according to fire officials. At only ten percent contained, officials have not speculated when the fire might be brought under control.

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RMG News video

 

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Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.