May 30, 2014 - 4:36 PM
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A Yukon firefighter who stumbled upon a den of wolf pups on the edge of a forest fire in Alaska says he can't believe the attention the story is getting.
Mark Fletcher says he spotted one of the cubs and then called in a biologist from the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge for help.
He says a biologist climbed into the den and pulled out five puppies, some of which had a previous encounter with a porcupine.
An Alaska Fish and Game official said it appears the porcupine may have entered the den to escape the fire. The mother was nowhere to be found.
Fletcher says the story has gone global and he's seen versions emerge in Europe and across the United States.
Fletcher, who normally fights fires out of the Haines Junction, Yukon, fire base had been seconded to help fight a large wildfire on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014