A hand crew with the Ventura County Fire Department rescued an owl during the Maria Fire over the weekend, officials said.
The hand crew was patrolling the fire line in a canyon above Somis Saturday when members spotted the owl hopping around in ashes, the Ventura County Star reported. The owl wasn’t moving too much, so they decided to take it in.
In photos shared by the department the following day, the owl is seen wrapped in a firefighter’s jacket, which matched its intense yellow eyes.
The owl was taken to a rehabilitation center and is “already on the mend,” officials said in a tweet.
The bird did not have any broken wings or bones and officials believe it may have been suffering from smoke inhalation, according to the Star. It is expected to make a full recovery and will be released back into the wild.
Later, officials said the crew had named the owl “Ram” after their favorite NFL team.
The Maria Fire has scorched more than 9,400 acres in the Santa Paula, Saticoy and Somis areas of Ventura County and is about 80% contained as of Monday.
Update: The crew bamed the owl “Ram” after their favorite NFL team and their own mascot. @RamsNFL
— Ventura County Fire (@VCFD) November 4, 2019