Firefighters rescued an elk calf from the ashes of the New Mexico blaze

Nate Sink, a firefighter based in the Missoula, Mont., cradles a newborn elk calf that he encountered in a remote, fire-scarred area of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Mora, N.M., on Saturday. (Nate Sink via AP)

SANTA FE, N.M. — Firefighters have rescued an abandoned newborn elk calf found amid the ashes of the nation's largest wildfire, as calving season approaches its peak in New Mexico and fires rage across the American West.

Missoula, Montana-based firefighter Nate Sink said Tuesday that he happened upon the motionless elk calf on the ground of a fire-blackened New Mexico forest as he patrolled and extinguished lingering hot spots.