As temperatures continue to rise this summer, and conditions continue to stay dry, a number of places out west are at increasing risk for forest fires.
Last summer, more than 65,000 acres burned in Montana’s Big Horn County as a result of the Poverty Flats Fire.
According to NBC Montana, no structures or homes had been burned, and no have an evacuations been put in place, however footage shows you just how devastating a wildfire like this can be.
Firefighter Chris Sharpe captured the footage of three elk trapped between the blaze and a fence. With safety nowhere in sight, the panic-stricken trio of elk run along the fence looking for a way out.
Chris shared his experience on Facebook:
“Well that was definitely a fire for the books. Nothing we tried the first night seemed to make the fire change its mind on where it was going. I am not one for taking pictures when we are chasing the fire only when we get to stop for a second.
My engine worked directly with Air attack and started working our way around the flank of the fire. The elk were the diamond in the rough if you will. They got pinched between the fence and the fire. It would have took too long to cut the fence, we had people persuade them out towards safety.
A big thank you to everybody who donated, and the families of the firefighters who supported us. A special thanks to the Allen family for feeding us, Thank you Jeff Duncan, Sarah Duncan for bringing out the home cooked food, and Thank you Aaron Baker for the coffee.”
Thankfully they were able to get the elk to safety, but many other animals are not so lucky.
So the next time you think about blowing something up in the woods for your stupid gender reveal party… remember this elk running for its life in a 66,000 acre wildfire.
