Firefighters and Photographer Save Goats Trapped in California Wildfire

Out of the devastation of recent wildfires continuing to rage in Northern California comes some uplifting news.

In Lake County, a quick-acting news photographer on assignment for the San Francisco Chronicle helped to save the lives of family-owned goats trapped in the blaze.

The Huffington Post reported that on Sunday photojournalist Noah Berger alerted local firefighters to the Clayton Creek Road fire, said to have been started by arsonists, as it was quickly descended upon the Henderson home housing the goats.

The family was forced to evacuate as the fire advanced, but the animals were too frightened to leave.

“My husband ran around and started opening pens but things behind him were catching on fire,” Mary Henderson told SFGate.com.

California’s bravest jumped over the fence into the fire to rally the goats as they were running for their lives, returning each time to bring another to safety. When the firefighter had an armful of goats, Berger volunteered to take the animal so the firefighter could return to the inferno and rescue more. He told SFGate.com, “The goat was really hot and I didn’t have my gloves on so it was really intense.”

Ironically Henderson only became aware of the goats’ rescue through an explosion on social media.

“I saw one of the firefighters carrying Waterlily, and saw Noah [Berger] carrying the little 4-month-old little boy goat and the shed completely on fire in the picture,” Henderson told SFGate.com. Thanks to a Facebook post, five of the 10 goats have been located, but they are still looking for the others.

As for the fire, the blaze has destroyed 4,000 acres, at least 175 homes and is five percent contained.