While one of the nation's largest wildfires continues to rage in New Mexico, a group of firefighters battling the blaze was able to rescue a newborn elk calf they stumbled upon in the ashes.
The fire is reaching its peak in the state, but continues to burn across the American West due to extremely dry and windy conditions.
Nate Sink, a Missoula, Montana-based firefighter, shared with the Associated Press on Tuesday that while he was fighting the fire, he found the baby elk on the burnt forest ground. She was motionless.
Sink was with his crew extinguishing lingering hot spots in the area, which he described as being covered in a "thick layer of ash." When he found the baby elk, he said he "didn't think it was alive."
It is currently calving season, and wildlife officials warn of interacting with baby elks as their mothers forage nearby. But after searching the area, Sink shared he found no signs of the baby's mother.
The bull calf was named "Cinder," weighing in at 32-pounds, and is being taken care of at a nearby ranch while it regains its strength at a wildlife rehabilitation center.
Cinder has been paired with a full-grown surrogate elk to be raised by as little human contact as possible, according to Kathleen Ramsay, a veterinarian at Cottonwood Rehab, the AP reported.
Ramsay said this part of the process is vital as humans can not help the elk learn the things it needs to in order to survive on its own.
"They do elk things, they don't do people things," Ramsay said.
The wildfire has spread across 486 square miles, destroying hundreds of structures as of Wednesday, with firefighters from across the region being deployed to help contain it.
There are currently five major uncontained fires burning in New Mexico, and thanks to more than 3,000 firefighters combating the wildfire, it is starting to halt in growth.
However, the fight is close to being done, with conditions expected to worsen over the weekend, the AP reported.
As for Cinder, Ramsay shared that the baby elk could be released into the wild in December when the elk-hunting season is over, a tactic often used successfully.
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