San Diego Humane Society Sends Help After Devastating Maui Wildfires

SAN DIEGO, CA — San Diego Humane Society has sent help to Hawaii. The nonprofit's Emergency Response Team is supporting animal search and rescue efforts after wildfires devastated Maui.

A four-member team departed from the Humane Society's San Diego campus Monday for an eight- to 10-day deployment, according to Humane Society spokesperson Nina Thompson.

"Our hearts break for everyone impacted by the devastating fires in Maui," Thompson told Patch. "I know our team was anxious to deploy and provide support during this difficult time. It is what they train year-round to do. And while extremely difficult, they want to help — not just the animals, but people with animals and their fellow animal welfare colleagues on the ground."

The team deployed at the request of Maui Humane Society and Bissell Pet Foundation's Animal Incident Management Group.

The Emergency Response Team's fire unit responds to fires in San Diego County and across the country, including the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fires in New Mexico in May 2022.

"We're going to be responding as search and rescue initially, and then it may transition to other types of animal care depending on need," said Summer Piper, who has served as a volunteer with San Diego Humane Society's Emergency Response Team for six years.

The team is expected to work in and around Lahaina. In addition to search and rescue efforts, the team will help with animal care, sheltering of large and companion animals, as well as transports.

"We're excited to go because we really want to help," Piper said. "There's a lot of need at the moment."

At least 99 people have died in the fires, with many more still missing. The fires started last Tuesday night, swept through the west end of Maui and leveled the town of Lahaina, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than 100 years, according to federal authorities.

"These types of deployments are hard," said Piper, who has been on a number of fire deployments and also helped with animal search and rescue efforts after Hurricane Ian hit Florida.

When Piper deployed to New Mexico during the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fires, she helped open a temporary animal evacuation shelter for pets and went behind fire lines to feed more than 100 animals left behind by owners who evacuated the area, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which helped fund the Emergency Response Team.

"The human component is very difficult," Piper said about deployments. "People come up to you, they're missing their animals. Or you go there specifically because you're trying to find animals to help them, and you find animals in conditions that it's very difficult to see. They're seeing a lot of that right now."