At the edge of a 90,000-acre wildfire, this man reached out to save a rabbit

Just steps away from a fire that had recently spread to more than 90,000 acres, a man panicked – but not for his own safety, a video shows.

As cars sped past the blaze along Highway 1 near La Conchita, Calif., on Wednesday, he saw a rabbit darting toward the flames.

He began to hop up and down as the rabbit scurried toward the fire, in tandem anxiety with the rabbit, until it finally began to move away from the flames. He is seen kneeling, scooping up the critter and carrying it away from the fire in the video.

KABC reported that the man did not want to be interviewed, but that didn’t stop people on social media from calling him a hero.

The Thomas Fire is the largest active fire being battled by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, along with local agencies, according to the department’s statewide fire map. It is just 5 percent contained, according to the Tribune News in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

The Thomas Fire erupted just Monday, according to the Associated Press, and caused ammunition to fly out of a home in Ventura, striking a reporter on Tuesday, according to CBS News.

This story was originally published December 7, 2017 at 6:31 AM with the headline "At the edge of a 90,000-acre wildfire, this man reached out to save a rabbit."