Stranded woman gives birth in forest, then starts fire to get rescued

A northern California woman experienced an intense three days, beginning Thursday when she delivered a baby in the middle of a forest and ending Saturday when she started a wildfire in order to be rescued.

Amber Pangborn, 35, was driving to her parents' house when she started to go into labor, NBC News reports. She decided to take a back road in the Plumas County National Forest, and wound up giving birth, then running out of gas in a remote area without cell phone reception. Pangborn said she survived by drinking the tiny bit of water she had with her and eating some apples. By Saturday, Pangborn was afraid she and her daughter, Marisa, would die, so she used a lighter and hairspray to start a brush fire. "The whole side of the mountain caught on fire," she said. "I was looking at Marisa and was like, 'I think Mommy just started a forest fire.'"

Pangborn's plan worked, and she was found by members of the U.S. Forest Service, who came racing to the quarter-acre blaze. Pangborn and her baby were taken to separate hospitals, and were expected to be reunited Tuesday. Although not everyone will approve of Pangborn starting a fire in a drought-stricken state, her mother, Dianna Williams, thought it was a great idea. "I'm elated and the baby's beautiful," she told NBC affiliate KCRA. "I'm glad that she's a smart kid. She's always been smart."

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