WATCH: Emotional Man Becomes Viral Hero When He Rescues Rabbit from California Wildfires
One brave man has become a viral hero after witnesses captured him coming extremely close to danger himself while rescuing a rabbit from the wildfires ravaging California.
The unidentified man pulled over on Highway 1 in southern California as the massive Thomas Fire raged along the side of the road to save the terrified creature, witnesses told ABC News. However, the rabbit darted into the burning bush.
As he searched for the animal, the man began anxiously jumping up and down and putting his hands on his head until the rabbit reappeared and ran from the flames. The man then scooped up the animal and appeared to walk with it to a safer spot.
Those recording the video said the hero declined a request to be interviewed on-camera, but social media users were still quick to praise him.
“Dude! You just restored my faith in humanity. May you be forever blessed,” wrote one commenter on Facebook.
Another added, “I see in this a young human, overwhelmed by the destruction he can not control. Saving this tiny, scared creature gave him a thread to hold on to when all around him was dying.”
RELATED VIDEO: Devastating Wildfires Strike Southern California
Since Monday, at least 180 structures have been destroyed by raging wildfires across Los Angeles and Ventura County. More than 90,000 acres have burned as of Wednesday night, and L.A.’s notoriously traffic-dense freeways have either been shut down or clogged with cars as residents evacuate. More than 1,700 firefighters are on duty in Ventura County to contain the flames, but many aren’t able to enter the area due to the intensity of the fire.
One person died in a rollover crash while trying to evacuate Ventura County as thousands attempted to escape in the dark, CNN reported.
On Wednesday morning, firefighters were faced with a new blaze in Bel Air, a wealthy neighborhood famous for being home to many celebrities. As of now, the homes of Jennifer Aniston, Elon Musk, Beyoncé and JAY-Z are under threat of being affected by the fires. Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Garner and Harrison Ford have homes that may also be in danger if the flames spread.
Many celebrities and their families taken to social media to announce their evacuations as high winds from Santa Ana are expected to fuel the flames this week. Lionel Richie went on Twitter to announce he was canceling a scheduled performance Wednesday to move his family to a “safer place” to escape the fire.
Chelsea Handler tweeted early Wednesday morning to announce she was evacuating her Los Angeles-area home, and also took the opportunity to make a dig at President Trump.
“Just evacuated my house,” she wrote. “It’s like Donald Trump is setting the world on fire. Literally and figuratively. Stay safe everyone. Dark times.”
Ariana Grande‘s mother and brother Frankie, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Adrienne Maloof and Paris Hilton also detailed their evacuations.