The images are harrowing and horrific, as homes, automobiles, churches and businesses are reduced to ash and rubble due to the apocalyptic fires that continue to destroy acres and lives in Los Angeles County, California. As thousands fled last week due to mandatory evacuations, horses, donkeys and other large animals had to be rescued.
One of the areas hardest hit by the Eaton Fire, which began on January 7, is Altadena in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. It’s an area known for its horse community. “People have horses in their backyards in these neighborhoods,” Leigh Anne Claywell, general manager of the Los Angeles Equestrian Center (LAEC) told Reuters. “It’s been a horsey area for a long time. This is kind of where the Hollywood Western was born, because of all the cowboys and the ranches that used to be in this area.”
Hay and straw supplies arriving at LAEC. (LAEC Facebook photo)
The LAEC has been an evacuation refuge for many in the area, taking in some 400 horses and donkeys, but they reached intake capacity over the weekend, posting on their Instagram “As of last night, the Los Angeles Equestrian Center has reached full capacity for housing large animals as part of wildfire evacuation efforts. This update comes from the Los Angeles Emergency Management Department, which is managing the evacuation process.” The post finishes with two emergency numbers to contact for those still in need.
The LA community has shown up for the horses and other animals during the crisis with thousands of dollars in donations, as well as donated feed and volunteers helping on the ground. What the wildfires have shown once again is the power of people’s love for their animals. As this video from Fox News below shows (fast-forward to the 2:45 mark), these two people risked their lives to lead their horses through the burning embers to safety:
The young man in the video tells the reporter that he let some horses go free and as they “tried to get as many as we could out.” When asked if he saw houses on fire he responded as many horse people would, “Honestly I didn’t pay attention, I just drove straight to the barn to get my horses.” It’s striking how the three horses appear to be calm as they are led to safety.
In another video from KTLA, a young woman recounts how she managed to rescue 40 of the horses on her property thanks to the help of people showing up with strangers. One of her horses, a pinto mare named Claire, ran off during the rescue into the flames, but she was located in one of the canyons and brought to safety. According to her owner she is “a little singed but appears to be doing okay.” The video shows Claire coming off the trailer at the LAEC looking a little worse for wear:
And in this video from ABC News, horses are calmly loaded onto a waiting trailer to be evacuated from the Kenneth Fire which erupted on January 9:
As of this writing there are no official numbers on how many horses or other livestock perished in the multiple wildfires that continue to ravage Los Angeles County.
You may also be interested in:
