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HWAC employees Tammy Carter and Adam House bring cats back to the center after the wildfire evacuation.
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Memories of the massive Cedar fire that hit San Diego County in 2003 were at the forefront of employees’ minds at Helen Woodward Animal Center (HWAC) as the wildfires rapidly swept through Southern California this week.
HWAC sits on 12 acres of land in San Diego County and houses close to 400 animals, from goats, turtles and horses to cats and dogs. The nonprofit coordinates adoptions, provides therapy and educational services as well as boards animals.
The center is located across the street from a fire station. HWAC Spokesman John Van Zante recalled that, during the Cedar fire, firefighters told HWAC employees that they would be given as much warning as possible, but that HWAC may only have 15 minutes to evacuate the animals and employees.
Although they were fortunate enough to be spared from the Cedar Fire, the ordeal brought a renewed sense of urgency to prepare an up-to-date evacuation plan.
The new evacuation plan was put into action as the staff members and hundreds of animals were forced to flee the property as the flames crept towards HWAC on Oct. 22. At about 9:30 a.m., approximately 50 employees and a few volunteers began to evacuate the smaller animals. They then moved on to the dogs and cats and finally to the horses.
“The last of the horses pulled off the property at about 12:45 p.m.,” Van Zante said. “In about three and a half hours we evacuated almost 400 animals.”
As dictated by the evacuation plan, larger animals were sent to an employee’s home to graze and lounge in a large yard. Most of the cats and dogs went home with HWAC employees; some went to a nearby veterinary hospital with extra kennel space. The pets in the boarding facility were driven to a nearby animal specialty hospital.
“We were fortunate,” Van Zante explained. “We knew what we were doing, and we had terrific people here. I talked to one of the doctors yesterday, and he said he can’t imagine that it could have gone any better. It went like clockwork.”
The timely evacuation procedures may have saved lives. When HWAC employees began evacuations, the property was designated a voluntary evacuation area. But within the time it took to get all of the animals out, evacuations were deemed mandatory.
On Oct. 24, staff members and animals were allowed to return. None of the animals faced any serious injuries due to the evacuations. However, all are being monitored for signs of smoke inhalation and breathing problems.
Fortunately, the center was still standing, but it sustained wind, electrical and smoke damage. Gusts of wind toppled several structures on the property, and a power surge caused problems in the kennel area. Some items must be discarded because of the strong smoke smell.
Van Zante estimated the short-term loss to the center at about $70,000, but he adds that long-term losses could be much greater. Van Zante said that the nonprofit center relies on donations to operate, and several of their contributors were affected by the fire as well.
“We’ve got people who are regular donors who don’t have a house today,” he said.
Some relief came from the Iams Company. Iams donated two truckloads of food to the center on Oct. 26. The donated food is enough to feed 6,000 pets for seven days. However, Van Zante said that most of the food will be given to rescue groups and evacuation centers. He added that a shelter in need can contact HWAC and schedule a time to pick up some of the pet food.
“We all reached out to each other,” Van Zante said of the ordeal. “We help each other because none of it is about us. It’s all about the animals.”
For more information about HWAC, click here.
Heidi Hatch, Associate News Editor for CatChannel.com