In 2018, California saw terrible wildfires. 103 individuals lost their lives and more than a quarter of a million people were forced to abandon their homes. But at this most sad of times, numerous animals were also suffering alongside people.
During the 2018 California wildfires, a picture of a horse that had been unsuccessfully attempting to escape the flames and was now caught in a pool went viral.
Several Facebook groups were created when the catastrophic flames broke out in an effort to reunite lost pets with their owners. One of them told the terrible tale of a horse that was caught in the deadliest wildfire that California had ever experienced.
Former resident of the now-destroyed village of Paradise, Jeff Hill was travelling about to see if he could locate anyone in need of assistance. He never anticipated what he would encounter.
He began by noticing the pool cover that had belonged to one of his neighbors. But inside of that, he saw a horse’s body. He discovered the animal wasn’t actually dead, just totally worn out, upon closer observation. It was so exhausted that it didn’t even attempt to stand up.
“As I was checking to see if someone’s house was standing we stumbled upon this girl who had given up and had the look of defeat in her eyes. There’s no telling how long she was there but she was shivering uncontrollably and ultimately lost her fight,” Jeff wrote on his Facebook page.
Jeff pulled back the cover so that the horse could win free, and then led her to the steps of the pool so that she could get out.
As if she understood what Jeff had done for her, the horse stayed for a few minutes, before getting up and walking away.
“She got out, shook off, loved on us for a few minutes as a thank you and walked off assuring us that she was ok ❤” Jeff wrote.
It looks as though the horse had sought shelter from the heat in the pool’s embrace, only to become trapped by the cover.
That said, there can be no mistaking the fact that the pool probably saved her life. I don’t want to think what might have happened if Jeff hadn’t been around to set her free.
We currently have no information on what happened to the horse following her release, but we hope and pray she’s found her way to an organization who will help her.
In the midst of misery and disaster, it’s stories such as these that give us continued hope.
As I result, it’s important that we pay tribute to Jeff for his great efforts in saving this horse. It’s our hope that the fires can be controlled before too long, and that no more people or animals lose their lives.
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