As firefighters tenaciously battled flames from several major fires that all flared in just 24 hours in Southern California, animal lovers worried about their pet’s safety as over 50,000 mandatory evacuations were issued.
Many homeowners who are pet parents to cats, dogs and other small animals were able to flee the flames in time to head to safety, but not everyone was as lucky.
Virginia Padilla, whose family owns a ranch in Sylmar, had the devastating loss of at least 30 horses to the 11,000-acre blaze dubbed the Creek Fire.
Padilla said she was woken up at approximately 4 a.m. by the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s orders to evacuate immediately. She and her family were given just enough time to gather some necessities but not their horses, Padilla said.