NewsAnimals

Actions

Rescuers found horse that escaped wildfire shivering in a pool

Posted at 9:12 AM, Nov 14, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-14 10:12:09-05

PARADISE, CA (CNN/RNN) - People from California are still evacuating the several deadly wildfires that killed 50 people. But there’s concern for the animals that were left behind.

When Jeff Hill, of Paradise, CA, returned to his evacuated neighborhood during the Camp fire, he found a horse in a backyard swimming pool.

He said in a Facebook post the horse was tangled in the pool cover after escaping the flames. The pool cover prevented her from drowning.

"We scrambled to unhook the pool cover and pulled her to the shallow end where we guided her up the steps." The horse got out, shook off, and "loved on us for a few minutes as a thank you, and walked off," he wrote.

Hill says he scrambled to unhook the cover and guided the horse up the shallow end steps. He said in his post, it looked like the horse had given up he found her.

Resources eventually came to escort the horse from the fire zone.

The community affected by the fire is organizing to reunite displaced pets and animals with their owners, which include pets such as dogs and cats to farm animals like pigs, horses and lambs.

In Butte County where the Camp Fire is burning, a volunteer group called North Valley Animal Disaster Group set up a shelter at the Chico Airport for animals.

The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine is working with groups and caring for many animals injured or displaced by the fire.

The North Valley Animal Disaster group is currently caring for more than 1,400 animals. The organization works with law enforcement to rescue animals and have received more than 5,000 calls to its hotline, CNN reports.

A Facebook page and a Twitter account called the California Wildfire Lost & Found Pets is posting photos of lost animals, and when those are reunited.

If you want to help animals and those who are rescuing them, here are a few resources you can donate to:

Copyright 2018 CNN and Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.