'Miracle goat' survives devastation of B.C. Rock Creek fire

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Katie Jones

Digital Reporter

Friday, August 21, 2015, 3:33 PM - After the raging Rock Creek fire ripped through a property in British Columbia's southern Interior, firefighters could hardly believe their eyes when they came upon a lone survivor among the charred debris.

A goat named Leo.

The pet was found among the ashes, still in his outdoor pen, like a small, bearded phoenix born anew.

Volunteer firefighters were putting out flames on a property almost entirely destroyed by the Rock Creek fire, when they came upon the seemingly untouched billy goat.

"The pen looked like it had been burned, all the grass and stuff inside, and out walks this goat, fine, you know a little spooked, but yeah it was pretty neat," volunteer firefighter Aaron Pownall told the CBC.

Aside from being a bit hungry and thirsty, Leo appeared to have survived the raging inferno with nothing more than some minor burns to his tail. Crews cared for Leo, feeding and watering him daily while they continued their work. "It was a pretty miraculous thing that happened there and the guys became pretty attached to it, " Pownall said.





On Tuesday, it was finally safe for homeowners to return to the site, knowing it had been ravaged by the massive blaze. Terry and Shannon Keough arrived to the site of their former home, assuming that everything, including Leo, had been lost in the fire.

But a moving and remarkable reunion between Leo and his owners was caught on camera by Rock Creek residents.

"The goat's alive! The goat's alive!" Terry Keough can be heard saying in the video as they run towards the goat pen.





The Keough's property in Rock Creek, B.C. was destroyed by the Rock Creek fire earlier this week.

According to the couple, this is not the first time Leo has narrowly escaped danger. The Keough's rescued Leo years ago after he became tangled in a fence near the U.S. border.

Leo has been taken to an animal shelter while his owners figure out their next move. The Keough family, including their two children, are staying in nearby Grand Forks until they are able to make alternate living arrangements.

The same firefighters that found Leo also discovered some llamas that survived recent fires on a property north of Rock Creek in Westbridge.

Three fast-moving wildfires in B.C.'s Okanagan Valley have destroyed dozens of structures and prompted hundreds of evacuations since igniting last week.

Source: CBC

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