Pets rescued in midst of critical wildfire threat in California

AccuWeather

AccuWeather's Ali Reid reports from Pacific Palisades, California, where firefighters continue to gain ground on the wildfires. Meanwhile, many pets in the area were rescued during the fire crisis.

Transcript

00:00As we continue to update you on some of the deadly fires in Southern California,

00:04at least 25 people have died and thousands of homes have been destroyed. Firefighters

00:09continue to gain ground on the fires as the wind weakens. And Governor Gavin Newsom

00:14has signed an executive order to help expedite cleanup efforts.

00:18Our coverage continues right now with Ali Reed. She joins us live from

00:22Pacific Palisades, California with an update. And the sun rising behind you. Another day begins, Ali.

00:30Right. Good morning, ladies. We've been talking about the devastation that these wildfires have

00:35brought to neighborhoods like the Pacific Palisades where we are this morning or Altadena

00:41where we were yesterday. The safety of the residents has been first and foremost as they've

00:47been catering to a lot of these neighborhoods. But the other topic of conversation that many people

00:53have in mind right now is the safety of pets and really trying to reunite a lot of those pets

00:59with the families that are still trying to get back to their homes, by the way, like neighborhoods

01:03in the one that we're in this morning. But a lot of the humane societies have really stepped up to

01:08do their part and help in these situations. And since the fires have began, one of those

01:13organizations is the Pasadena Humane Society. They're doing everything they possibly can right

01:18now to help displaced pets. Most are pets like dogs, cats and rabbits. Right. But there have

01:23also been some unusual arrivals like cockatoos and even a horse. Many animals are arriving with

01:29serious injuries like burns, singed fur and whiskers and smoke inhalation. Each day, search

01:35and rescue teams venture into fire ravaged areas, retrieving injured wildlife and pets left behind

01:41in the chaotic moments when families fled the flames. While some evacuees have already reclaimed

01:46their animals, others are relying on the Humane Society to care for their pets until they can

01:51return. Pasadena Humane has 150 staff members, including five full time veterinarians, all

01:58working around the clock right now as they care for more than 400 animals. But to be caring for

02:04that number of animals, we've had to really make use of every space that we have in the shelter to

02:10like have pop up crates to have housing for animals that we would rarely see. And it's

02:17you know, really because we have such great you know, we have support from all over the country,

02:22all over the world financially to help us, you know, take care of these animals,

02:26but also through other agencies loaning us their animal control officers for a week or two. So we

02:32can really make progress in reuniting as many animals as possible as quickly as possible.

02:39And it's not just the workers, it's the volunteers too that have also joined in to help assist

02:43sorting donations like food, blankets and carriers. The support has been overwhelming,

02:48but organizations like the Pasadena Humane Society say the most urgent need now is financial

02:54assistance, specialized medicine and unique food supplies are very expensive and monetary

02:59donations go further than physical items and meeting these needs. As the rescue efforts

03:04continue. The focus is not just on healing, but also on preparing animals for adoption,

03:10or even reuniting them with their families. And the reunification process has really been

03:15beautiful ladies. We got to see some of those happen yesterday with our own eyes, families

03:19coming back, hoping to find their pets in some of these shelters that will continue for weeks on end.

03:26And by the way, the Humane Society, they are prepared to keep their shelter open with more

03:30again than 400 pets on a normal time. They're usually around 100 pets that they have in the

03:36Humane Society. 400 plus is where they are at right now. And they are willing to keep that

03:42number up until all of these pets are back with their families.

03:47Ali, I can only imagine witnessing some of those reuniting efforts there in a time that has been

03:53so devastating for a lot. I'm sure that brings joy to a lot of people's faces. Gave me the chills

03:58kind of hearing that and just even imagining that. So appreciate of course the update about

04:02the serious ongoing situation, but also being able to bring a little bit of a joy from such a

04:06hard situation.

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