Firefighters save calf accidentally left behind in fire zone of Indian Creek Fire
Click here for updates on this story
MALHEUR COUNTY, OR (KPTV) — A lost calf that was accidentally left behind in the fire zone of a wildfire burning in eastern Oregon was rescued on Sunday.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) said a rancher had moved his cows off a grazing area that was being threatened by the Indian Creek Fire. After he left, the rancher realized one calf was unaccounted for.
Unable to go back and look for the calf, BLM said the rancher notified fire officials.
Fire officials then spread the word about the calf to about 400 wildland firefighters battling the fire.
After surviving two nights alone on the range, the calf was located by a fire crew on Sunday.
BLM said the fire crews took the calf to an incident operations manager, who was able to safely reunite the calf with its mother.
The Indian Creek Fire started on Aug. 16 near Juntura, between Burns and Ontatio. The fire has burned more than 47,000 acres of sagebrush, juniper and grassland. It is estimated to be 28 percent contained.
According to BLM, the fire is human caused and remains under investigation.
Anyone who was in the area of Highway 20 at Jonesboro near milepost 203 about 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 16 is encouraged to contact Vale BLM Fire at 541-473-6374 or the WeTip hotline at 1-800-472-7766. WeTip calls are toll free and anonymous.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
