Firefighter rescues endangered deer from Florida brush fire

April 25 (UPI) -- A Florida firefighter "jumped into the flames" to rescue an endangered fawn that she spotted running into a brush fire.

Firefighter Jen Shockley of Monroe County Fire Rescue said she was working with a crew to protect a home endangered by the Big Pine Key brush fire on Sunday when she spotted the key deer running deeper into the fire.

"I jumped into the flames and saved the little guy," Shockley said. "He was all by himself and running for his life into the fire."

The deer, which did not have any apparent injuries, was given water and oxygen by the firefighters before being released into a safe area.

Dan Clark, refuge manager of the National Key Deer Refuge, said key deer generally do not need to be rescued in such situations because they have adapted to dealing with brush fires.

The tiny key deer is an endangered species.