Watch a worker at Maui's bird conservation center and her neighbor hold off wildfire to save critically endangered animals
- The island of Maui has been devastated by wildfires that began on Tuesday, August 8.
- The Maui Bird Conservation Center was among structures that have been threatened by flames.
On August 8, when wildfires first started to spread on Maui, one structure threatened by the flames was the Maui Bird Conservation Center in Makawao.
The isolation of Hawaii means there are multiple species of birds that aren't found anywhere else on Earth, according to the the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project's website.
So, when fire started making its way towards the center on August 8, it could've meant disaster for these endangered birds and their delicate ecosystem. But, as The Washington Post reported, not all hope was lost.
Jennifer Pribble, a wildlife care supervisor who lives at the center, told the Post that she saw the smoke heading her way early on August 8 and sprang into action — and her heroism was caught on camera.
Security footage from the center shared by Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources shows two people running towards the center then dragging a hose towards the flames.
MBCC fire - security cam footage from undefined on Vimeo.
Pribble said she and her neighbor knew that the grass was extremely dry, and if the fire reached it, they'd only have minutes to save the birds. Quickly, they brought out their own fire extinguishers and began spraying, Pribble said. They also used a hose before firefighters arrived, as the footage shows.
"In that moment, our instincts kicked in and we knew what we had to do," Pribble told The Washington Post. "The goal was to keep the fire from spreading toward the aviaries."
Pribble also shared her story with The New York Times. "We just went out and kept it under control the best that we could, just so it didn't cross back over the road, until the state firefighters could arrive," she said.
Losing the center, which is run by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, would be an immeasurable loss for the island and for bird conservation. The center is home to some of the last 'alalā, or Hawaiian crows, among other endangered birds, such as the 'akikiki, a small honeycreeper.
"Alalā are extinct in the wild, and only about five 'akikiki are known to remain there," Emily Senninger, a spokeswoman for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, told The New York Times.
According to Senninger's statement to The Washington Post, all the birds are safe.
Now, with the fire contained, the main concern is moving any birds away from trees that have fallen. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has not yet responded to Insider's request for comment.