Lake County firefighters rescue young, wounded hawk

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Thanks to a pair of eagle-eyed Lake County firefighters, a young red-tailed hawk is on the road to recovery.

Kyle Rushton is a firefighter and a paramedic, and Jeremy Searcy is a firefighter and an emergency medical technician. Both work with Lake County Fire Rescue’s Engine 21. 

Rushton and Searcy spotted the bird in a residential area near Eustis on Saturday. They caught the creature and put it in a carrier so it could be transported to the Avian Reconditioning Center for Birds of Prey in Apopka.

Officials at the center said the hawk is 10-12 weeks old and was dehydrated and malnourished when it was brought in.

The bird will be rehabilitated and returned to the area where it was found.