The Bodhisatta was once born as a quail, and before he was old enough to fly, fire broke out in the forest wherein his nest was. Seeing no means of escape, he made an Act of Truth (sacca-kiriyā), calling to mind the holiness of the Buddhas and their doctrines. The fire retreated to a distance of sixteen lengths and then extinguished itself. The story was related in reference to a fire which broke out in the jungle when the Buddha was travelling in Magadha with a large company of monks. Some of the monks were frightened and suggested various methods for putting out the fire, while others said they should seek the Buddha’s protection. This they did and the Buddha took them to a certain spot, where he halted. The flames came no nearer than sixteen lengths from where they were standing, and in approaching the spot extinguished themselves. When the monks marvelled at the great power of the Buddha, he told them the story of the past and said that, owing to his Act of Truth as a quail, that spot would never be harmed by flames during the whole of this world-cycle. J.i.212 ff; cp. J.i.172.

See the Vaṭṭa Paritta.