Earlier this month, Travis Ochs experienced a nightmare no animal lover ever wants to face.
As the devastating CalWood wildfire swept toward his Colorado home, Ochs had to make an unthinkable choice — evacuate quickly and leave behind his cherished donkey, Ennis, and one of his horses, Adam.
Ochs had attempted to load all of his animals onto a trailer, but with flames rapidly approaching and time running out, a ranger assisting with evacuations urged him to leave with what he could. Heartbroken, he drove away, not knowing if he’d ever see Ennis and Adam again.
“It was horrifying,” Ochs told the Daily Camera.
That night, sleep didn’t come. Ochs could only imagine the worst. But then, he received the call that changed everything.
Fire crews who made it to his property discovered something incredible: both Ennis and Adam had survived. Against all odds, the two animals had weathered the fire together.
While several buildings on the property were lost, Ennis and Adam were found alive — with only minor singeing to show for their ordeal.
Ochs rushed back home and was met with the moment he’d dreamed of: a tearful, joyous reunion with Ennis.
Seeing his beloved donkey alive and well erased the trauma of everything else lost in the fire.
“I’m just thankful we were all able to get out of there alive,” Ochs said. “There were a couple times I didn’t think that was going to happen. It was a happy ending to an otherwise dark and scary day.”
