The most devastating wildfire in California’s history, the Camp Fire, took at least 88 lives and destroyed an area the size of Chicago, taking with it almost the entire town of Paradise. The fire is finally contained, though the search for survivors continues, and talk of rebuilding lives and a community begins. And part of this is the question – what happened to the pets left behind?
Though wildfires in California are not unexpected, the Camp Fire struck so quickly many people didn’t realize the risk until they saw the flames. Roads were jammed with traffic during the evacuation, trapping people in the inferno. Not only were homes and precious belongings abandoned, many pets were, as well. Some animals fled from the flames on instinct, inadvertently running from their owners and possible safety. Others never had the chance to evacuate with their families during that rushed and urgent time.
During the weeks of fighting the ferocious blaze in Northern California, fire responders rescued thousands of animals from the destruction, many sitting in the ashes of former homes. Taken to nearby and emergency veterinary hospitals, many facilities quickly ran out of space to treat the animals. Cats were the most common rescue, though there were also hundreds of dogs as well as rabbits, chickens, cows, and goats.
An emotional reunion was caught on video when a woman identified her cat at one of these hospitals.
The abandoned pets suffered from burns and smoke inhalation. Many had damaged feet from burns to their foot pads. Fur and ear tips were often burned away as well, sometimes down to the skin. Treatments included administration of fluids and oxygen as well as burn injury care. Some need feeding tubes because of burns to their throats from the intense heat that surrounded them.
In a heartwarming story, Jeff Evans, a man who unintentionally remained behind during the fire, ended up rescuing multiple dogs that had been abandoned. Evans told NPR,
“[T]hat evening, I took a ride up the road, up Hoffman Road. And there were five cars parked in the middle of the road. And that struck me so odd – that why would they park their car in the middle of the road, and there’s no people? So I got out of my truck. And I looked into the one of the windows of one of the vehicles. And there’s two puppies in the car. So I grabbed the dogs. I put them in my truck. I went to the next vehicle. And it’s like, every vehicle had one or two dogs in it. One of them had, like, six dogs. And ah, I just – I thank – I don’t know – I feel so fortunate that I drove up the road at that moment. Or those dogs would have died, I’m fairly confident.”
Disaster Preparedness for Pets – The Time to Start Planning is Now
Now comes the time for surviving pets and their guardians to be reunited. Animals that are microchipped will find their people more easily than others. Some have been burned or shaved to the point of being unrecognizable. But many people are coming together to help. Facebook groups have been dedicated to connecting lost pets to their families. Even strangers are helping to search through photos tagged “found” to match up with those lost.
i WANT TO GIVE THE BIGGEST “THANK YOU” TO ALL THE FIRST RESPONDERS, UC DAVIS, AND ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE HELPED TO RESCUE THESE ANIMALS, THANK GOD YOU WERE THERE TO HELP, YOU HAVE HELPED TO GIVE THEM A 2ND CHANCE.
What lowlife heartless scumbags would leave their pets in a fire !!
So terrible so terrible….
I would like to donate some items such as a crate, blankets, collars, and horse halters, if needed. I would like to know where to send them? I would probably send through UPS. Please let me know where they might be needed.
Animals large & small are being housed at the fairgrounds in Chico, California. The University of California at Davis has taken in medically complex animals for care & they might need items too.
Could you please provide me with the mailing address of the Chico facility and whose attention it should be directed to?
Thanks.
The North Valley Animal Disaster Group is managing the care of the rescued animals. They are working in coordination with other agencies and can probably give you the most accurate information. They can be contacted online at nvadg.org or by phone at 1-530-895-0000.
Thank god these animals were rescued and our getting the help they need to heal. As for Mr Evens, he is truly an angel for taking in all those beautiful babies. God bless him and them.
As a animal lover and owner this story is close to my heart! I could never leave my dog behind he is my heart part of my family. I could never be seperated from him I would stay by him until the very end. I would put our fate in Gods hands come what may I would wrap him in a blanket to keep him safe and warm and hold him in my loving arms . We are a team I could never leave him or let him go he is like my child.
How on earth do you leave your companions behind?? I don’t get that. I know in my heart that I could never do that. And to leave them in a vehicle where they wouldn’t have a chance to even run away, what kind of morons do these things?
I am also familiar with the Paradise are. Several people didn’t have the opportunity to go home to grab anything including their pets. They were not given the option with this fast moving fire. Several of you are assuming they made a choice to abandon their pets but when you are at work. They were lucky to get to the schools to get their kids and get out with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. A coworker was at work in Chico and didn’t have time to go home to rescue her pets and lost all of them as well as her home. She is devastated by the loss of her pets.
A sincere thank you to the firefighters and animal rescue organizations who helped out the multitude of animals. I hope that the fire victims are reunited with their pets.
Many of you say you wouldn’t leave your pets but if you are not given the opportunity to go back to your home to rescue them then you have no right to judge the fire victims.
Well yes, Stephanie, many of us do say we wouldn’t do such a thing and we MEAN it. If you are gone 8 to 10 hours every single day and your ‘companion’ is alone at home without you, why do you even have that dog or cat??? And do not tell people not to judge others because in the society in which we live none of us are exempt from doing so.
Sorry Stephanie I did forget to mention that to many of us, dogs and cats are not pets, but rather companions, friends, and vital members of our families that we see as individuals with all the love in our hearts so to lose them doesn’t mean just losing a dog or cat if you get my drift.
Stephanie, I’m so sorry about your coworker losing her house AND her pets. As a pet owner, I can imagine her heartbreak at losing part of her family on top of the trauma of losing her home and everything she owned. I hope she is able to eventually pick up the pieces and find a new beginning.
There is no excuse for leaving your companion animals behind to die!! If you can get yourself into a vehicle, you can damn well get your animal into it at the same time!
Semper Fi Sue
I used to feel the same way but, having grown up in Paradise, I am familiar with the lay of the land. The flames had overtaken the town within minutes and people had less than ten minutes to escape. Many people were at work and couldn’t return home to collect their pets. It was a horrifying wake-up call for me to realize that it’s not really fair to pass judgement on people who leave their pets behind. These wild fires are burning so fast and hot that any hesitation can be a death sentence. My heart breaks for everyone who had to leave their pets behind.
Who are we to judge…unless we have personally experienced one of these devastating fires where we have very little or no time to gather pets and family and get to safety…we should not pass criticism…animals tend to run and hide or escape…
My heart goes out to all who are looking and searching for their pets in this really stressful time.
its so sad why would you dump an old dog .there is rescue centres it could of easily gone there .it was an un neccesary death for a dog in his late yrs .this is what the world is like today .no respect for them .i hope you catch this scumbag an bring whoever it is to justice .
the ones that left their animals behind SHOULD NOT get them back
What part about many of them being at work and they weren’t allowed back in to get their pets do you not understand??!!??? Roads were blocked or impassable—- authorities wouldn’t allow them. Many of these people are still not allowed back in! This is not a black and white issue and shaming people when you don’t know their circumstances is just added cruelty. And they shouldn’t get their animals back???? Great, just what we need. More homeless pets on top of the thousands of homeless animals we already have.
Our thoughts go out, a very hard time.
I would never leave my cat begind to die. I would rather die together with him.
So sorry for all animals that are victims in these fires. Thanks to all the rescuers that helped save as many as possible. God Bless the humans victims and animals victims.
I would never leave a pet to fend for itself. I would rather die with the pet than to leave it.
People that leave their pets to fend for themselves need prosecuting. If it were me
I would take them with me or die with them.
Jeff you are a hero sent by God.
I just don’t see my husband or myself or any of my family actually, leaving any of our pets behind, any of our animals behind! That would be like leaving one of our children behind. I could never live with myself. I suppose we’d end up dying with them. And those people that left all those dogs and puppies in cars and ran, they may as well have put bullets in their heads. If not for this wonderful, kind gentleman they would certainly have died. If not from flames, it would have been smoke and excessive heat. If you can’t/won’t/don’t love your animals enough to lay down your life for them, DON’T GET/HAVE THEM! They’re helpless, innocent, they depend on you. Don’t run and leave them to die.
When you see fire in the tree right over your house. You tend not to see anything else.
The California Camp Fire was indeed a great disaster. We cannot afford to have another one like this. I am happy that many pets were saved. But I wonder what happened to the bears, wolves, coyotes, foxes and and other animals who are inhabitants of the forest? Did the California forest department come to their rescue? I hope the California government as well as the Federal State government take adequate measures to prevent another such disaster in the future. And people please give up your passion to camp outdoors. it’s too risky for everyone. Now that the UN confirms that 2018 has been the hottest year, I think people should think twice of going camping. Let’s protect our Mother Earth by sacrificing some self-indulgent and non-profitable pastimes. We can’t risk another California fire of such magnitude.
You do know that the Camp fire got that name because it started near Camp Road. It was not started by a campfire gone out of control by people camping in the forest.
Bless them all. Let’s hope they find each other again and live a long and happy life together.
I pray all lost pets be united with their family members or are eventually adopted!
The animals that were found from the fires and can not find the owners are they up to be adopted. What happeneds to them?
They are talking about adopting our pets out and we haven’t even been allowed back to our property yet, it’s disgusting
I pray for the animals. I hope that their caregivers are still alive and if not, that they can find a loving forever home where they can find love and trust after the horror that they have been through. God bless you, Jeff Evans, for caring for the many dogs that you took in and watched over as their guardian angel. I have been worrying about the animals since the fires began. (Not that I haven’t been worried about the people; it’s just that many do not consider the poor pets who haven’t the lay of the land like the wild animals are more inclined to.)