On January 7, 2025, the worst windstorm-driven wildfires in Los Angeles County’s recorded history exploded, threatening thousands of residents, their homes, and their animals. At one point five separate fires were blazing. The two biggest fires, the Palisades fire and the Eaton fire, destroyed complete neighborhoods and communities. The ferocity of these fires shocked everyone and we are still reeling from the damage and loss of life. More Red Flag warnings and another rare Particularly Dangerous Situation warning are in effect this week, and we know we are not yet out of danger.
The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) regularly responds to wildfire events, supporting Fire and Sheriff personnel by rescuing animals stranded in evacuation zones and providing temporary emergency sheltering to keep them safe until the emergency passes. On January 7 our trained emergency command teams activated immediately, opening large animal emergency animal sheltering sites and providing field responses.
Over 11 days DACC received 460 animals into emergency sheltering, including 205 horses, 47 birds, 52 cats, 31 dogs, and assorted cattle, goats, sheep, alpacas, pigs, tortoises, chickens, reptiles, and more. We opened three large animal evacuation sites – at Pierce College, the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, and our Castaic Animal Care Center. All seven DACC animal care centers accepted smaller animals such as dogs, cats, birds, reptiles (including four huge Sulcata tortoises). Our Agoura Animal Care Center served as a main small animal sheltering site and donation center for the unincorporated communities affected by the Palisades fire. Hundreds more horses and livestock were evacuated to the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, the Hansen Dam Equestrian Center, the Industry Hills Equestrian Center, the Fairplex in Pomona, and other locations. Pasadena Humane admitted more than 600 evacuated pets.
Lt. Armando Ferrufino loading a horse rescued from a destroyed property in Altadena.
I couldn’t be prouder of and more grateful for our DACC staff and volunteers, who leapt into action and worked 11 days in a row, 12 hours each day, to provide support and care for the animals and the owners who were evacuated. More than 4,000 staff hours were spent directly on response to the fire emergencies. Our expert volunteer Equine Response Team (ERT) is an amazing support resource for us, caring for hundreds of evacuated horses and other livestock. We averaged 20 volunteers a day, who put in more than 1,000 volunteer hours caring for evacuated animals and providing support to displaced pet families. Each time I visited the Pierce College sheltering site I was struck by their dedication and compassion for the 200+ animals in their care.
Our rescue efforts are largely made possible by the Los Angeles County Animal Care Foundation (ACF). The ACF’s Noah’s Legacy Fund has paid for horse trailers, livestock trailers, small animal housing trailers, mobile medical units to provide urgent medical care in the field, field command trailers, staff training, and animal rescue supplies and equipment. These were all made possible by past donations and allowed us to be properly equipped and prepared to respond to these tragedies.
The outpouring of generosity by the public in response to the Palisades and Eaton fires has been unprecedented. These included large corporate donations and individual gifts to support the Foundation’s work; countless in-kind donations of pet food, bedding, and supplies for pets whose families lost everything; free meals for staff and volunteers at the animal sheltering locations from World Central Kitchen; and spontaneous volunteers who were horrified by the tragedy around them and showed up to help in any way they could. Last year the American Kennel Club donated two emergency response trailers filled with equipment to quickly stand-up emergency field operations and they were used during these events.
Animal sheltering and welfare organizations throughout the country rose to the occasion. They adopted hundreds of available animals from our animal care centers to make room for the displaced pets that would need emergency sheltering. The outpouring of assistance has been incredibly heartwarming, and we will be forever grateful.
I rode with one of DACC’s strike teams in the evacuated zone of Altadena, where we brought hay and water to stranded livestock that couldn’t be evacuated, and rescued a horse from a devastated property. Our officers also checked on pets left behind, providing food and water or removing them to be reunited with their families. Sadly, many animals were not evacuated in time during the fires and the grief their families are feeling is unimaginable. The force and speed of these fires overwhelmed communities. People who were at work when the fires broke out were not able to return home. DACC’s role in stepping in for them is one we take with great honor.
DACC is grateful for the partner agencies that joined us in these efforts through our pre-existing Mutual Assistance Agreements. These include Pasadena Humane, who has cared for many injured animals from the Altadena area, the ASPCA, the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA, Kern County Animal Control, and the North Valley Animal Disaster Group. Many more offers of help came from other agencies, and we will always remember their kindness and selfless offers to help.
The emotions felt in our communities are overwhelming. Anger, grief, shock, horror, helplessness, guilt, fear, gratitude, and more regularly sweep over those affected. These include animal welfare staff and volunteers, who witnessed the devastation and the impacts on pets and their families. The psychological toll on everyone will require time and wrap-around support services to overcome.
The advance of the fires has been controlled and residents whose homes are still standing are allowed to return to collect belongings. However, the areas are contaminated with hazardous air and utilities may not be restored for some time, even six months in some areas, and the houses must be decontaminated from the smoke and damage done to them. Many residents have no homes to return to and must begin to search for new places to live. It will take years to recover from these infernos. Entire neighborhoods – homes, businesses, houses of worship, schools, community centers, and other facilities that make a community are simply gone.
Red Flag warnings and another rare Particularly Dangerous Situation warning have been issued for this week’s weather. I am remined of Winston Churchill’s statement after the British victory at the Battle of El Alamein – “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
DACC will stay strong, vigilant, and responsive to the needs of the people and animals it serves. We know we can count on our colleagues in animal welfare and the kindness and compassion of the public. It is our hope and prayer that these tragedies do not repeat, but if they recur we will be ready to respond and do all we can to support our communities and their animals.
Marcia Mayeda
You can subscribe to Marcia’s blog here: https://animalcare.lacounty.gov/directors_blog/
The Los Angeles County Animal Care Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)3 charity that raises money to support DACC in its mission of saving animals and keeping pets and families together. Learn more at www.lacountyanimals.org.