Pets and Livestock Being Rescued From Valley Fire Evacuation Area

Photos by Al Francis, NapaSonomaPhotos.com
Written by Bea Karnes, Patch
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Many people who fled the Valley Fire arrived at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga with their beloved pets and livestock. Unfortunately, some people left so fast that they had to leave animals behind.

A few people had to make gut-wrenching choices. One woman owned six horses, but only had a trailer that fit three. She had to choose which three to take along.

Some residents actually painted their phone numbers on animals and set them free in hopes of being reunited following the fire.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has been checking on animals, rounding up the ones that are badly burned and transporting them to a shelter in Lakeport for treatment. (If you’re missing animals, phone Lake County Animal Care & Control at 707-263-0278.)

Some residents who left pets behind are being escorted back to their homes today, for 15 minutes, to pick up pets or to feed their animals.

“The Lake Evacuation & Animal Protection team has been receiving numerous requests from concerned pet owners who asked us to check on their pets and make sure they have enough food and water,” said Bill Davidson, director of Lake County Animal Care & Control. “It’s hard to say how many pets are affected at this point, but we will continue to go out into the field to search for lost or injured pets and hopefully reunite them with their families.”

“We’re pleased to be working alongside the Lake Evacuation & Animal Protection team to help pet owners and displaced animals in the community, as well as support local agencies identify resource needs,” added Dick Green, senior director of Disaster Response for the ASPCA, who has been on the ground since Sunday. “The destruction caused by the fire is indescribable, and our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected by this disaster--people and pets alike.”

Some residents defied the mandatory evacuation order. Those who stayed behind are also pitching in to feed their neighbors’ animals.

Earlier fire coverage:

• Wildfire Victim Was Disabled; Containment Doubles in One Day
• Life in the Valley Fire Emergency Shelter
• Highway Through Hell: Video Shows Driver’s Escape from Valley Fire Inferno
• One Dead as Valley Fire Explodes to 61,000 Acres, 5 Percent Containment
• Elderly, Disabled Woman Trapped in Home, Died in Valley Fire
• FEMA Grant to Cover Valley Firefighting Costs
• Evacuated Fire Victims Settling into Tent City
• One Person Killed in Valley Fire; 50,000 Acres Burned; Hundreds of Homes Lost
• Exhaustion, Desperation, Humor at Calistoga Evacuation Center
• “Huge Destruction. Homes Destroyed Will Be in Hundreds”
• Valley Fire Roars Through 40,000 Acres in 12 Hours