By Julie Hauserman
Note: Just three days after closing the emergency shelter June 16, more lightning storms hit and 1,000 wildfires broke out in California, 41 of them in Butte County. The North Valley Animal Disaster Group has been on the ground for a month. Around 700 animals are now being sheltered in four locations. The HSUS sent four National Disaster Animal Response Team members to California to help evacuate and shelter animals displaced by the fires.
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| A dog and her guardian are reunited at the temporary shelter after the wildfires died down.© Paul Bruce |
When wildfires hit the rural community of Paradise about 90 miles north of Sacramento June 11, Paul Bruce found himself on a harrowing animal rescue assignment—the most harrowing, he says, in his four years with The HSUS.
As fire burned on either side of the narrow road, Bruce and three other animal rescuers crawled up into the foothills, hoping to rescue several animals. The fire was wind-whipped and unpredictable, so the team was in heavy protective gear and carried an emergency fire shelter with them at all times.
"The evacuation runs were about as nerve-wracking and dangerous as I've ever experienced," said Bruce, an HSUS regional program coordinator and veterinary technician based here.
"You could feel the heat through the vehicle's window," he said. "We had been given the green light to use that road, but it was still touch and go. When we got to the site where we loaded up the horses, you could see the fires burning less than a half-mile away."
Menagerie Under One Roof
The horses were among the more than 440 animals sheltered by The HSUS and other animal protection groups as the blaze charred about 36 square miles. About 9,000 residents were evacuated, a quarter of them elderly and many with special needs. As they fled the fire, many worried what to do with their pets.
The lead responding agency, the North Valley Animal Disaster Group, based in nearby Chico, set up a hotline that residents could call if they needed help evacuating their animals.
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| A member of the evacuation team leads one of the rescued horses to shelter.© Paul Bruce |
As the fire grew, so did the population of the temporary shelters. Residents soon included dogs, cats, rabbits, pet rats, chickens, horses, livestock, llamas, goats, pigs, four raptors rescued from the home of a wildlife rehabilitator, and a fawn found walking perilously close to the fire line.
Injured animals, such as the stray dog found suffering from smoke inhalation and burns on all four paws, were taken to area veterinarians for medical care.
To keep the animals as cool as possible in the extreme heat, shelter workers placed frozen towels or water bottles in each of the crates and mounded ice behind a "swamp cooler" fan.
In addition to Bruce's work, HSUS emergency services staff lined up volunteers and supplies donated by Petsmart Charities. In all, 19 animal protection groups, animal services agencies and veterinary hospitals came together to help evacuate and house animals.
Fires Fade, People and Pets Go Home
Firefighters were able to tame the flames within days, and residents were soon allowed back into the area. The temporary animal shelter was closed on June 16, with nearly all the pets being reunited with their owners.
"This incident was very personal for me," said Bruce, "I lived in Chico for 23 years and still consider it my home. It hurt me to see my community in such distress."
Updated July 10, 2008
