Young Owl Rescued From Danvers Brush Fire, Released To Find Mother

DANVERS, MA — A juvenile Great Horned Owl rescued from the brush fire that burned behind Danvers High School Tuesday night and Wednesday morning was rehydrated and released back to its habitat in apparent good health later Wednesday afternoon.

The Danvers Fire Department said when crews returned to the area to extinguish any hot spots from Tuesday's brush fire they found the owl lying motionless in the fire-damaged area. Crews put the owl in a box and moved it away from the smoke-filled area.

After giving the owl water, Danvers fire said the owl became more active. It was then brought to a local wildlife rehabilitator who determined that the owl likely fell from its nest during the fire and was lethargic from the fall and smoke inhalation, but otherwise appeared to be healthy.

The owl was released back into the same area later in the day.

"While we did not spot its mother, rescuers could hear an owl calling in the distance," Danvers fire said. "Hopefully, they are now reunited."

A video of the owl taking water as it regained strength and activity on Wednesday can be found here.

Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)