A catastrophic situation is currently taking over parts of California, after the state was ravaged by serious forest fires.
The flames have turned many people’s lives to a burning nightmare.
At least 17 people have died, around 25,000 people have been evacuated and 2,000 buildings have been destroyed.
But the flames aren’t just threatening people. Thousands of animals are also caught in life threatening danger, especially those that live in zoos and nearby nature reserves.
At Safari West Park in Santa Rosa, California, employees were evacuated immediately when the fire began to spread.
All of the staff ran for their lives, but one person ignored all warnings — 77 year old Peter Lang.
Peter refused to leave the animals alone and at risk of dying. When the flames spread out into moving fires and blocked the animals in from all sides, Peter worked tirelessly — and alone — to keep the animals safe and calm.
With no other alternative, Peter was forced to use ordinary garden hoses to hold the flames back.
“That’s right, it’s all I had. I went backwards and forwards and sprayed water. I tried to put out all the fires that were left,” said the hero.
The thick smoke laid think in the air and you don’t need to have a big imagination to see how hard it must have been for Peter to breathe and work in that chaos.
But Peter didn’t give up. And thanks to his hard work and bravery, all of the animals at the park made it out unharmed from the terrifying forest fires.
Unfortunately Peter was forced to sacrifice a whole lot on a personal level.
The 77 year old lost his own home in the flames, during the time he fought to save the wild animals.
Peter says that the loss of his house feel “tough” but hopefully his dedication and big heart will help him come back from this difficult time.
In addition, many former visitors to the wildlife park have started a collection to help Peter rebuild his house again. Solidarity in a time of need!
Take a look at the news clip below to meet Peter and learn more about how he and the animals survived the fire.
If Peter isn’t a true hero, then I don’t know who is!
Go ahead and Liked Video his heroic act on Facebook if you also think that Peter deserves worldwide recognition.
