Butte Sheriff Volunteer Rescues Rottweilers From California Park Fire

A volunteer with the Butte County Sheriff’s Office search and rescue team ran more than a mile through the area devastated by the Park Fire, the sixth-largest wildfire in California history, to rescue five puppies and their mother after the dogs’ father died, authorities said.

Embers were swirling around Campbellville on Wednesday night as residents rushed to evacuate their homes. The area is just below Cohasset, a community of 847 that was decimated by the wildfire. The Park Fire has burned 368,256 acres (575 square miles) and was 12% contained as of Monday morning, Cal Fire said.

The truck of a resident who fled the area was destroyed while the owner escaped the flames, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. The person left behind his truck, which contained two Rottweiler parents and their four puppies.

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Trevor Skaggs, a member of the Butte County Search and Rescue team, flew in a helicopter piloted by Sheriff’s Office pilot Conner Smith and descended into the fire area Saturday. He ran about a mile and a half and found the puppies, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The mother Rottweiler and her puppies were still alive — “tired and very thirsty” — but the father dog had died, the sheriff’s office said.

Sheriff’s officials said Skaggs coaxed the five surviving dogs to follow him by giving them bites of his protein bar, which helped them track him.

The dogs were flown to Chico Airport and are now being cared for by the North Valley Animal Disaster Group, authorities said.

“These have been horrific days for our community and we are grateful to be able to share this amazing story,” said the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.