{"id":2462,"date":"2026-07-09T23:33:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T23:33:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2462"},"modified":"2026-07-09T23:33:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T23:33:53","slug":"this-goat-escorted-colorado-firefighters-to-a-wildfire-burning-near-cheyenne-mountain-she-understood-the-assignment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2462","title":{"rendered":"This goat escorted Colorado firefighters to a wildfire burning near Cheyenne Mountain: \u2018She understood the assignment\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Give Goldie the goat a gold badge.<\/p>\n

She deserves it after escorting firefighters up and down a mountain on Wednesday as they worked to contain a wildfire sparked by a lightning strike near Cheyenne Mountain State Park just south of Colorado Springs.<\/p>\n

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The goat showed firefighters the best path, often stopping to bleat and encourage them to follow her route, said Shane Coyne, superintendent of the Southern Colorado Interagency Wildland Fire Team.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe understood what was going on and what was happening,\u201d Coyne said. \u201cShe wanted to make sure she knew all the humans got to the fire. This goat got to be a legend up there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rock Creek Canyon fire erupted early Wednesday morning in an area west of Cheyenne Mountain State Park. It quickly grew to about 5 acres, but fire crews hiked to the fire and dug a line to contain it, Coyne said. A helicopter also dumped water on the blaze.<\/p>\n

Firefighters were on scene Thursday to make sure the line holds and the fire does not spread.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you get a line around it and it holds, it\u2019s a good day,\u201d Coyne said.<\/p>\n

A Colorado Springs Fire Department crew encountered the goat and was so impressed with her guidance that it posted a video on the agency\u2019s social media accounts.<\/p>\n

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\u201cEvery crew needs a good leader\u2026 apparently ours has four legs,\u201d the fire department wrote on Instagram. \u201cWhile working on the Rock Creek Fire, our firefighters got an unexpected escort from a very determined goat who led them toward the fire area and helped with some fuel mitigation along the way. We\u2019re not saying he\u2019s ready for a badge\u2026 but we\u2019re also not saying he isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Every crew needs a good leader\u2026 apparently ours has four legs. \ud83d\udc10\ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n

While working on the Rock Creek Fire, our firefighters got an unexpected escort from a very determined goat who led them toward the fire area and helped with some fuel mitigation along the way.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/CWMUFBT3aC<\/p>\n

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\u2014 Colorado Springs Fire Department (@CSFDPIO) July 9, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Word of the goat began spreading Wednesday as more crews arrived on scene, Coyne said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI heard there was a goat and was Iike, \u2018OK, cool,\u2019 \u201d Coyne said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know she would be so committed to our cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

His crew was the last to arrive that morning and, as soon as they reached the first charred ground, Goldie appeared.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just starts moving toward the fire,\u201d he said. \u201cShe knew her area and she understood the assignment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The crew spent about three hours digging a fire break and working with chainsaws. When it was time to go back down the mountain, the firefighters stopped to secure their gear because they were navigating such steep terrain.<\/p>\n

Goldie found them and started bleating, Coyne said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goat meets us at that same spot,\u201d he said. \u201cShe looks back and makes this bleating sound like, \u2018Follow me, guys, and I\u2019ll show you where to go.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Goldie led the men back to her owner\u2019s house, which was about three-quarters of a mile away. At the time, Coyne said he was so exhausted that he forgot to get the goat\u2019s name or its owner\u2019s name.
\nHe figured out Goldie\u2019s name on Thursday, but still does not know her human, who is a Castle Rock firefighter.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnimals are amazing and they do such special things,\u201d Coyne said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a pretty tough time in Colorado with the fires and this was a good story.\u201d<\/p>\n

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