Berry the 525-pound bear found hiding under Los Angeles home to save himself from wildfires

He bear-ly survived the wildfires.A homeowner forced to evacuate due to the catastrophic Los Angeles wildfires returned home to find a massive 525-pound black bear hiding in his crawlspace.Samy Arbid told CBS News that the huge unexpected visitor — affectionately nicknamed Berry — was found when utility workers called to restore power to his Altadena home after the Eaton Fire found their access point blocked.“We ended up putting a ring camera with a light on it under the crawlspace and found out we have a giant bear under there,” Arbid told CBS News.“It was nerve-wracking for a while,” he said, of the hulking animal eventually coaxed to safely by wildlife officials.“The biologist actually said it was the biggest bear he’s ever seen in person.”Arbid believes the Berry — also nicknamed Victor by other locals — took shelter to survive the raging wildfire, which thankfully did not raze his home.“I think during the fire he pretty much stayed in there,” Arbid said.

“I think he was scared.”Berry was too big to tranquilize and drag out, so wildlife experts baited him with tasty grub.“We got some apples, peanut butter and some rotisserie chicken,” city environmental scientist Kevin Howells told KTLA of the rescue mission.“They made a feast for him,” Arbid said, with Berry eventually falling for it and coming out to eat.The bear was taken to the Angeles National Forest, where it was given a welfare check and strapped with a GPS collar before its release.The Altadena home has since been bear-proofed and the crawl space was securely boarded up to prevent animals from entering, according to Fish and Wildlife.“In the foothills of bear country, it’s important to close crawl spaces with bear-proof material in advance of winter months to discourage bears from denning and damaging property,” CDFW officials said.The Eaton Fire started on Jan.7 and quickly exploded in Los Angeles County, destroying nearly 10,000 structures and killing 17 pe...