Volunteers rush to save livestock as flames erupt inside Ross Fire burn zone

A quiet plume of smoke suddenly became a wall of flames as firefighters rushed to a flare-up on the eastern edge of the Ross Fire burn zone. Within seconds, smoke had erupted into tree-high flames with homes nearby.

The moment offered a glimpse of the challenge firefighters and volunteers are facing as they battle the massive wildfire and its aftermath.

Volunteers rush to save livestock and help Ranchers

For the past 48 hours, Garrett Duvall and the Rancher's Navy have been moving through the burn zone, joining dozens of volunteers and crews trying to save livestock and help ranchers recover.

Their vehicles are packed with animal triage kits filled with supplies to treat injuries and wounds. But Duvall said the work has become much more than saving animals.

"It looks like hell. It's another world," he said.

Volunteers are going from ranch to ranch, checking on animals and asking families what they need.

"And sometimes we pull into a ranch and their house is gone," Duvall said. "And that kind of hits hard."

The Ross Fire has left widespread damage across North Texas ranchland, where cattle, horses and other livestock have had to be moved to safety. Duvall said some ranchers are now facing another devastating problem, even if they still have surviving animals: the grass they depend on is gone.

"We're helping a lady right now," he said. "She's a sixth-generation rancher. She has some cows left, but she's lost a lot. There's no grass left."

Smokehouse Creek Fire shaped Duvall's mission

Duvall is no stranger to the aftermath of a catastrophic Texas wildfire.

CBS News Texas first met him in 2024 during the historic Smokehouse Creek Fire, which became the largest wildfire in Texas history. The fire burned more than 1 million acres across the Texas Panhandle and into Oklahoma. Two people died, and thousands of livestock were lost as ranchers faced massive damage to their land, homes and infrastructure.

That fire also became part of Duvall's own story of survival.

During the Smokehouse Creek Fire, he rescued a badly burned calf named Ash. The animal became a symbol of hope and healing after surviving the disaster.

Now, two years later, Duvall is watching the next generation grow.

"We know that there's brighter days ahead," he said. "Even if some of them are injured, there's a pretty high chance they're going to survive. Ash is two years old and she's doing great. And that kind of gives a little bit of hope for the future."

For Duvall, that hope is what he wants ranchers facing the devastation of the Ross Fire to hold onto.

Because while thousands of acres remain blackened and the threat from the wildfire is still far from over, he has seen before what can happen after the flames are finally gone.

And he believes brighter days can come again.