“I’m just the guy who moves stuff around,” he said modestly. The “stuff” he speaks of refers to the panicked horses and other livestock he wrangles out of harm’s way when they get left behind after the humans have fled.

With a large trailer borrowed from his job selling tractor equipment, Zimmerman has ventured daily into various evacuation zones just as homeowners threatened by the Carr Fire were rushing in the other direction.

On Saturday, he had just delivered to safety five horses he managed to capture in one newly evacuated area, before receiving a call to pick up others nearby.

The horses were being taken to stables, rodeo grounds and ranches whose owners have opened their property to the steady stream of livestock rescued by Zimmerman since Wednesday.

“He restored my faith in humanity,” said Noah Urban, an Oregon resident whose stranded 6-year-old horse named Bolt was saved by Zimmerman. The two connected through Facebook.

“You’re not just helping the animals, he’s helping people to alleviate their stress,” Urban said. “It would be like losing your children. If you had to leave them behind, I can’t even think about it.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-wildfires-animals/retired-marine-rescues-horses-from-raging-california-wildfire-idINKBN1KJ0AF?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=5b5dbf0704d301458e7ad858&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter