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Published 15:36 IST, October 18th 2020

Owl enters Helicopter cockpit as pilot battles wildfires; netizens call it a 'miracle'

Helicopter pilot Dan Alpiner in Calfornia was surprised to see an owl enter into his aircraft as he conducted water drops over the Creek Fire on Monday

Reported by: Gargi Rohatgi
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Helicopter pilot Dan Alpiner was surprised to see an owl fly into his aircraft while he was fighting California wildfires. Reacting to this incident, Alpiner, who is a pilot with aircraft charter company 'Sky Aviation' said that the owl entered the helicopter while he was conducting water drops on the wildfires burning in Fresno and Madera. Sky Aviation termed the incident as "unheard of" in a Facebook post. 

Sky Aviation's Facebook post read, "It’s odd to have an owl enter an aircraft. It’s unheard of to have it enter while the helo is in-flight. It’s an unexplainable and magical miracle for it to stay with you for several water drops, then leave just as it arrived - safe and unannounced."

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Owl enters helicopter while pilot battles California wildfires

This incident took place on Monday when Dan Alpiner was battling wildfires. While speaking further about the incident, Alpiner said that he was worried that the owl would start flying around the cockpit, but he was surprised to see that it just sat there while he conducted water drops. Alpiner addressed this rare incident as 'unexplainable' and a 'magical miracle'. 

Uploaded on October 13, this picture has gone viral on Facebook and has managed to get over 470 likes and 3,443 shared. Reacting to the pictures, one of the Facebook users commented, "If there wasn't a photo, I doubt anyone would believe this one. What a unique occurrence."

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Another Facebook user commented, "We are not alone on this planet. What a beautiful experience. To be doing something so important for the earth and be truly seen doing it. Thank you for being a protector!" Cal Fire said that as of Saturday, the wildfires have spread over more than 541 square miles in Madera and Fresno. So far, 23 people have been injured and over 900 structures have been damaged. 

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15:36 IST, October 18th 2020