Firefighter who gave rabbit water says reaction 'is really humbling' as photo reaches over 1.2k likes
Tom Collins, the firefighter who was pictured giving a drink of water to a rabbit, has spoken to us about the "hugely unexpected" reaction the picture received online.
"It's hard to explain, I put up a simple post with the picture that my colleague Adrian Collins took, and to get such a positive reaction on Facebook is really humbling," he said.
Tom assured us that all the feedback has been positive.
Tom explained that normally, while fighting fires like this one, the team would not encounter many wild animals as if they are able-bodied enough to escape they usually don't need help.
"What we do see unfortunately is a lot of burned eggs or charred nests," he said.
When asked about how he happened upon the rabbit, Tom said: "We were dealing with the fire when the rabbit actually approached us, he looked a little worse for wear and his fur was singed.
"I gave him a wash and a drink of water and he was happy to go off on his own again," Tom said.
For Tom, it was just another day on the job, but for everyone else it gave an insight into the heroic work that Irish firefighters carry out every day.
Tom's original post now has over 1.2k reactions on Facebook.
A firefighter offered a rabbit water as the animal escaped a gorse fire in Cork.
The picture was taken at Sheep's Head in Cork by Adrian Collins.
Gorse fires broke out in Cork recently, the most significant one in Gougane Barra.
The blaze in Gougane Barra valley started on Saturday, covering some 4km (2.5 miles) at its peak, Cork County Fire Service said.
Animals were heard "screaming" in Gougane Barra as they failed to escape the flames.
However, for this little guy, he's in safe hands.
