Horse Found 'Shivering Uncontrollably' Survives California Wildfire by Hiding in Backyard Pool

A horse escaped a deadly wildfire tearing through Northern California by hiding out in a backyard pool.

Paradise Calif. resident Jeff Hill found the horse in the pool Sunday while checking in on another person’s home. The Camp Fire, which has killed 48 people and become the deadliest wildfire in California’s history, had incinerated almost the entire town of Paradise by Monday.

The horse was found shivering and appeared to be stuck in the pool cover, which apparently prevented her from drowning by keeping her suspended.

“We stumbled upon this girl who had given up and had the look of defeat in her eyes,” Hill wrote in a Facebook post. “There’s no telling how long she was there but she was shivering uncontrollably and ultimately lost her fight.”

Hill and a friend unhooked the pool cover and pulled the horse to the shallow end. From there, they were able to guide the horse up the steps and out of the pool.

“She got out, shook off, loved on us for a few minutes as a thank you and walked off assuring us that she was ok,” Hill wrote.

Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com.