as a cub about one and a half years old, cinder was discovered by steve love on his property on french creek in the methow valley on july 31, 2014, two weeks after the wildfires. with third-degree burns on her paws, she was dragging herself on her elbows. she accepted apricots, dog food, and water from love, who also spent time with her that night after he heard her crying. the next day, an officer with the washington state department of fish and wildlife captured her with a catch pole; at about she was too small to tranquilize. (normal weight for her age would have been about .) she was hiding under a horse trailer and was unable to run away fast because of her injuries. she was treated by a veterinarian for extensive burns and sores on her elbows; he described her burns as the worst he had ever seen, and rich beausoleil, the departmental bear and cougar specialist who took charge of her (and fed her yogurt and dog food), also later said, "that was the worse case i’ve ever seen". two days later she was transported by pilots n paws, a volunteer pilot organization, to lake tahoe wildlife care inc. in south lake tahoe, california, where because of her burned paws she was initially provided with a ramp to reach her sleeping loft. her medication was administered in muffins coated in syrup.