BIG PINE KEY, Fla. (FOX 13) - In the middle of a brush fire in the Florida Keys, one firefighter jumped through flames to rescue an endangered Key deer fawn.
Firefighters have been battling the brush fire on Big Pine Key since Sunday afternoon. While responding, Jen Shockley, a Monroe County firefighter, noticed the fawn was alone at the corner of Raccoon Run and Wilder Boulevard.
"I jumped into the flames and saved the little guy," Shockley said. "He was all by himself and running for his life into the fire."
The deer was given oxygen, water and a blanket. Monroe County officials say the deer was uninjured, and by 3 a.m. Monday the fawn was released into a nearby unburned area.
Officials say it's unusual to see a fawn with no mother nearby. The deer usually do not need to be rescued because they have evolved over the years. During the brush fire, no Key deer have been found unharmed, says Dan Clark, Refuge Manager of the National Key Deer Refuge.
Monroe County officials say firefighters continue to battle flare ups though Monday night. They say there are no reported injuries and one home has been destroyed.