A dozen fires spread across Southern California since the weekend. Many horse owners have evacuated, applying the lessons learned after a string of similar fires ravaged the area in 2003 and left dozens of horses dead and hundreds abandoned.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, more than 90,000 acres have burned from San Diego County up to Santa Barbara County. The Santa Ana winds, which are fanning these fires, are expected to continue blowing through Tuesday.
"At this point they've had to evacuate 250,000 people and there's over 100,000 acres that have burned," Catt said. "I think the big difference is that this fire is moving slow enough that it gave people the opportunity to get out before it turned into such a disaster. There's no question--people are much more hypersensitive to the situation, given what they went through four years ago."
"A lot of the horses have been moved two or three times," Catt said, because of the fires' spread. "That's kind of what we dealt with last time--you think you get into a safe location and then, several hours later, you have to load them up and move them again. People just have to be aware of where the fire's at, stay in communication, be patient, and listen to what people are recommending as far as safe areas."
Further north, Pierce College Equestrian Center in Woodland Hills, Calif., about 20 miles from Malibu, is a designated evacuation point for horses and other livestock. Worker Carolyn Seitz reported about 120 horses have been relocated to the Center from Malibu (western Los Angeles County) and Orange County. She said there's room for about 70 more.
"There's a whole crew of volunteers and they're just bringing them in," noted Seitz.
For more information about equine evacuation in the Los Angeles area, call the L.A. County Department of Animal Care and Control Response Team, 818/991-8065.
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