The ‘convoy of incredible people’ saving animals from California’s infernal fires

As fires licked the Los Angeles landscape, a network of volunteers plunged into action to rescue pets and livestock

As flames roared into communities on all sides of Los Angeles last week, and tens of thousands of residents rushed to evacuate, trailers across southern California were being hitched and trucks fueled. A network of volunteers was preparing to descend on the fire zones, ready to risk it all to save pets and livestock in need.

In the rural enclaves tucked close to the canyons most prime to burn, scores of animals - horses, goats, pigs, chickens, and even emus among them - were in danger as the fast-moving fires swept closer. Some had been left behind during chaotic evacuations. Others required large trailers or a gentle hand to calmly coax them through the terror caused by howling winds, ashen air and the very strangers desperately trying to get them to safety.