Community Rescues Horse Trapped in Crevice in Los Angeles Wildfire

A news reporter found a horse upside down at the bottom of a crevice while reporting on the Creek Fire that is spreading through California.

The horse was escaping the fire in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles when it fell into the crevice.

Fox 11 reporter Gina Silva posted pictures and video of the horse to social media and asked for help. The trapped horse was also aired on live television. The incident caught the attention of a veterinarian, who tranquilized the horse, and the locals helped break down the structure the horse had fallen between and firemen helped get the horse out of the ditch and to an evacuation center, according to Silva’s Fox 11 report.

The horse was then taken to an animal hospital, where it is recovering, according to Silva’s Instagram account.

Horse Rescue. Early this morning we came across this horse that got stuck in a small crevice as it was running away from the #CreekFire in #Sylmar. We took the emergency live asking for help because firefighters were busy battling the fire. In a matter of 20 minutes.. several viewers sprung into action. A veterinarian tranquilized the horse, others began moving furniture out of a garage and LA County fire freed up a small crew to help with the rescue. They all tore down the wall to free the animal. The horse was then immediately transported to a nearby animal hospital. A big thanks to all of the rescuers. We are certainly hoping this horse recovers from his injuries. #Horses #HorseRescue #Fire #LaCountyFire #Rescue #FoxLA

A post shared by Gina Silva (@ginasilvaworld) on Dec 5, 2017 at 12:40pm PST

Many horses did not make it out alive. Twenty-nine horses died at a ranch in Sylmar, the Los Angeles Times reported. The family that built the ranch more than 20 years ago was forced to flee the property when a fire crew arrived the morning of Dec. 5.

“All I could think about was the horses, the horses, the horses. And they were like, ‘Get out, get out, get out,’ ” Patricia Padilla told the Times. “The structures can get rebuilt, but the lives of the horses can’t. … That’s my biggest heartbreak.”

UPDATE: The horse rescued from the Sylmar fire is doing well. His name is Kenny and he’s 23 years old. Today he’s doing better and he’s eating. Again, thank you to all the people who came to his rescue. This is a photo sent to me by Cristina Gonzales. Sadly, 30 horses died in the Creek Fire.  The family who owned the horses had to escape in a hurry. They had no time to take the horses. #CreekFire #HorseRescued #Sylmar #Kenny #FoxLA #Gdla #Twitter

A post shared by Gina Silva (@ginasilvaworld) on Dec 6, 2017 at 2:50pm PST

The family housed more than 60 horses from various owners. They called owners of the dead horses to inform them of the news after returning to the property, according to the Times.

The Creek Fire continues to burn through southern California, along with three other large wildfires. The Skirball Fire is closing in on heavily populated areas of Los Angeles, ABC News reported.

The largest of the fires, the Thomas Fire, is crawling toward Santa Barbara. It was the first among the recent fires, beginning the night of Dec. 4 as a brushfire. More than 5,000 firefighters have been deployed to combat all of these fires. A smaller fire in San Bernardino is entirely contained, according to ABC News.

The cause of the fires and the difficulty with containing them is attributed to the Santa Ana winds. The winds create the seasonally dry conditions that these fires thrive on. The high speed, hot winds help the fires grow, according to CNN.

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