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Lake Tahoe Nonprofit Treating Bear Cub Badly Burned In Washington State Fire

LAKE TAHOE (CBS13) — A Lake Tahoe nonprofit is taking care of a bear cub burned in a Washington wildfire.

Cinder arrived at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care in a crate. Only about a year old, the cub has gone through quite an ordeal.

A homeowner found her struggling in the aftermath of a fire in Washington state.

"I gotta give a shout out to the guy who found her 'cause from what I understand, his home was destroyed," said pilot Bill Inman. "After having to face that, he rescued her and I think that's really cool."

Cinder suffered painful burns to her paws, stomach and head. Fish and wildlife officials in Washington knew the Lake Tahoe nonprofit could rehab the cub, but needed a way to get here.

Inman, who volunteers for animal rescue transport group Pilots 'n' Paws got the call.

"Most pilots don't need much of an excuse to fly, but to do something, do something positive is really great," he said.

Cinder is the second cub burned in a wildfire to recover at the facility. Lil Smokey was rescued in 2008 from a fire in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. He was rehabbed and released in 2009.

"Our goal with every single bird and animal that comes into Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care is to get them released back into the wild," said Tom Millham.

There's no telling how long it will take to get her back to 100 percent, and the center is counting on volunteers and donations for her care.

"We have no idea right now what type of veterinary expenses or medical expenses or medicine that we're gonna need for this cub, but you know, every little bit helps," Millham said.

To donate, visit the group online, and check its Facebook page for more updates.

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