A video of a man desperately trying to save a wild rabbit from dying in the wildfires near Highway 1 in Southern California is going viral.
The video of the unknown young man was first captured by ABC News and shows him frantic that a small, wild rabbit was endangered by the flames.
The animal is seen in the video darting back and forth as it desperately tries to escape the flames burning all around.
A man wearing shorts and a hoodie is then seen jumping up and down and anxiously slapping his hands to his head as the tiny rabbit rushes in among the burning grasses. Eventually, the man corrals the rabbit and is able to grab it up to save it from the flames. The video ends with the man cuddling the terrified creature and walking down the road as the lurid orange glare of the fires lights his way:
According to the media, the young man refused to be interviewed by the KABC cameraman who caught the scene because he did not want any personal publicity for saving the creature.
Many Twitter users are hailing the man as a hero and saying the heartwarming video has renewed their faith in humanity.
The video is a brief respite from the massive fires threatening hundreds of thousands of residents. Already, 200,000 have been forced to evacuate the area as high winds help spread the fires out of the control of firefighters.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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