The Rescue of Horse Sunny from a Fire at a Racetrack in Los Angeles Required Firefighters to Remove the Water Tank from the Helicopter to Expose the Hook Needed to Pull Sunny Out of Danger After Two Unsuccessful Attempts to Bring Sunny Back to Normal
In the early hours of a crisp October morning in 2025, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) faced an extraordinary challenge amid the chaos of a fast-spreading brush fire at the historic Santa Anita Park racetrack in Arcadia, just northeast of downtown Los Angeles. What began as a routine patrol to contain flames threatening the iconic venue’s stables quickly escalated into a high-stakes animal rescue operation. At the center of the drama was Sunny, a 28-year-old Thoroughbred gelding known for his gentle demeanor and storied racing career, who found himself trapped in a smoke-choked paddock as embers rained down like fiery confetti. This daring helicopter extraction, involving innovative modifications to firefighting equipment, not only saved Sunny’s life but also highlighted the evolving role of urban fire services in protecting both human and animal lives in wildfire-prone California.
The fire broke out around 4:30 a.m. on October 15, 2025, ignited by a combination of dry Santa Ana winds gusting up to 40 mph and a spark from an electrical fault in one of the track’s maintenance sheds. Santa Anita, home to the Breeders’ Cup and a fixture in American horse racing since 1935, houses over 2,000 horses across its sprawling 320-acre grounds. By the time LAFD crews arrived, the blaze had consumed a storage barn and was licking at the edges of the training paddocks, where dozens of horses were stabled overnight. Evacuation efforts were underway, with trainers and grooms leading panicked animals to safer ground. But Sunny, recovering from a minor leg strain and housed in a far corner, became separated in the frenzy.
Eyewitnesses described a scene straight out of a disaster movie: thick black smoke billowing across the infield, the acrid smell of burning hay permeating the air, and the distant whir of news helicopters circling overhead. “It was like the devil himself had lit a match,” recalled Maria Gonzalez, a longtime groom at the track. “The horses were neighing in terror, kicking at their stalls. We got most out, but Sunny—he bolted into the paddock fence and wedged himself against a smoldering gate. The fire was closing in fast.”
Initial ground teams from LAFD’s Task Force 1, augmented by the Los Angeles Animal Services Specialized Mobile Animal Rescue Team (SMART), rushed to Sunny’s aid. The horse, weighing nearly 1,100 pounds, had entangled himself in the twisted metal of the gate amid the heat and confusion. Dehydrated from the rising temperatures and panicked from the flames, Sunny lay on his side, his flanks heaving with exhaustion. Vets on site administered a mild sedative to calm him, while rescuers worked feverishly to disentangle the wire and debris pinning him down. “He was in shock, eyes wide with fear, but we could see he wasn’t critically hurt—just stuck and disoriented,” said Dr. Elena Vasquez, the lead veterinarian from SMART.
For over two hours, the team attempted to coax Sunny to his feet. Using specialized slings and pulleys rigged to a nearby tractor, they tried twice to roll and lift the horse back to a standing position—a standard procedure in equine rescues. The first attempt failed when Sunny, still groggy from the sedative, buckled under his own weight as the flames crept closer, singeing the edges of the paddock grass. The second try was even more precarious; a gust of wind whipped embers into the rescuers’ path, forcing a temporary retreat. With the fire line advancing—now just 20 feet away—and ground access growing too hazardous due to unstable footing and heat, Battalion Chief Marcus Hale made the call: air evacuation was the only option.
Enter LAFD Air Operations, whose firefighters piloted one of the department’s versatile Bell 412 helicopters, typically deployed for wildfire suppression. These aircraft, dubbed “Fire 5” in this instance, are equipped with Bambi buckets—massive 320-gallon water tanks slung beneath the fuselage for aerial drops on blazes. But in a stroke of quick-thinking ingenuity, the crew landed the chopper on a cleared section of the track’s apron and spent 20 tense minutes removing the water tank entirely. This modification exposed the internal cargo hook, a heavy-duty steel mechanism rated for loads up to 2,500 pounds, designed for hoisting personnel or equipment in remote terrains. “We train for this, but it’s rare to adapt on the fly like that,” explained Pilot Javier Ruiz, who led the operation. “The tank had to go—safety first. It weighed over 200 pounds empty, and we couldn’t risk it swinging loose with a live animal below.”
With the hook now accessible, the team fitted Sunny with a custom equine rescue harness—a nylon web sling reinforced with Kevlar straps, positioned under his belly and secured around his legs. A ground crew member double-checked the rigging, ensuring no pressure on Sunny’s injured leg, while another monitored his vitals via a portable heart-rate sensor. At approximately 7:45 a.m., as the sun crested the San Gabriel Mountains, the helicopter lifted off. The rotor wash scattered ash and leaves in a whirlwind, and for a heart-stopping moment, Sunny dangled 50 feet below, his body swaying gently against the dawn sky. Spectators—trainers, track staff, and even early-arriving media—watched in hushed awe from behind safety barriers. The flight path skirted the fire’s perimeter, a mere 300-yard hop to a grassy staging area on the track’s outskirts, where veterinary teams waited with IV fluids and a shaded recovery pen.
Sunny touched down softly at 7:52 a.m., unharmed beyond a few superficial burns on his coat and lingering dehydration. “He’s a fighter—that old boy Sunny,” Gonzalez said, tears in her eyes as she stroked his muzzle. Post-rescue assessments revealed no broken bones, just the need for rest and antibiotics to ward off smoke inhalation effects. By midday, Sunny was back in a temporary stable at a nearby off-site facility, munching on fresh hay and surrounded by familiar scents to ease his trauma.
This rescue underscores the precarious dance between California’s equine heritage and its wildfire vulnerability. Santa Anita has faced evacuations before, notably during the 2017 Lilac Fire, but the use of a modified firefighting helicopter marks a new chapter in inter-agency collaboration. LAFD’s Air Ops, in partnership with SMART and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), is now exploring permanent harness kits for future ops. “Animals like Sunny aren’t just property; they’re family to so many in this community,” Chief Hale noted. “We’re adapting our tools to match the threats—because next time, it could be 10 horses, not one.”
As the fire at Santa Anita was contained to 15 acres by evening, with no human injuries reported, the story of Sunny’s salvation spread like the winds that fueled the blaze. Social media lit up with videos of the lift-off, garnering millions of views and donations pouring into equine welfare funds. For the racetrack world, it’s a reminder of resilience: amid the ashes, a horse’s second chance gallops on. Sunny, ever the survivor, is already eyeing a quiet retirement—perhaps penning his own tale of triumph over the flames.
