Amber Pangborn: Mom Gives Birth Alone In The Woods, Rescued After Starting Wildfire


Amber Pangborn almost died in the forest, but the 35-year-old mother miraculously survived three days in the wilderness with a newborn child. The Los Angeles Times shared the details of the incredible story of a woman who is said to have defied all the forces of nature in a northern California forest.

During her three days in the harsh wilderness, Amber Pangborn, of Oroville, California, had to deal with wasps and mosquitoes, and even had to fight off bees. According to the Huffington Post, Pangborn survived the ordeal by eating apples and drinking water and soda that she had in her car.

Pangborn’s problems started when she got lost in the Plumas National Forest after deciding to take a shortcut. She was on the way to her parents’ house after realizing she was going into labor.

“I thought we were going to die,” Pangborn told reporters. “And there was no cell service, there was no… there was nothing.”

Pangborn knew she was in serious trouble because she had ran out of gas and her phone eventually died. Her situation took a turn for the worse when the contractions suddenly started and she had no other choice but to have her baby in the woods.

Shortly after giving birth, she was attacked by bees and mosquitoes.

“I tried to not get them to sting her,” she said.

The bees pounced on the placenta and Pangborn was stung several times as she defended her daughter.

“I was just there at the end, thinking, ‘Oh my God.’ I wasn’t sure if we were going to actually get out of there,” Pangborn said.

After two days, she was so desperate that she started a fire to draw attention to themselves — but the flames quickly roared out of control. Pangborn later told reporters that it had looked as though the whole mountain was on fire.

“The fire just went whoosh and shot up the mountainside. And I was looking at Marissa… and I was like, ‘I think mommy just started a forest fire,'” she said during an interview with the local TV station.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNJ5ZuEirmY

Apparently, her tactic worked and the blaze drew firefighters to her rescue. Amber Pangborn was found and the heroic mother and her child were rescued after the three-day harrowing ordeal. A fire truck and a helicopter were dispatched and both were discovered in her car.

An ambulance transported Pangborn and her baby to the hospital. Pangborn has been discharged and her newborn, Marissa, was transferred to the University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, the report states.

The fire will now be investigated, but officials are glad that Pangborn and her child were found alive and well. Regarding the incident, Forest Service supervisor Chris French released the following statement.

“Our thoughts and best wishes continue to be with the mother and baby. We are very pleased with the professionalism and cool-headed decision-making of our fire response crew.”

[Image via YouTube screenshot]

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