Behind the fire front Volunteers rescue pets left behind by wildfires

When fleeing wildfires in the USA, many people have to leave their pets behind. Volunteers look after them. Not only the owners are happy about this.

The largest forest fire in California this year has driven tens of thousands of people to flee. They have left behind not only their belongings, but also countless cats, dogs, chickens, horses, goats and other animals. They are not only threatened by flames, but - if they survive the fire - by starvation because everything is charred.

People like Norm Rosene are taking care of them. In Cohasset in northern California, the 66-year-old volunteer and his team come across a newborn calf in an old wooden barn. It is apparently only a few days old. The mother cow cares for it, protects it and nurses it.

"It's important that we get food and water (...) especially because the temperature is expected to rise to more than 38 degrees Celsius in the next few days," says Rosene. "They drink a lot of water, especially the mother will need water and food to be able to nurse the calf."

Rosene makes sure that smoldering hay and flames near the barn are extinguished, alerts the nearby firefighters and moves on with his men to the next house.

People want to know their animals are safe

The so-called Park Fire has devastated almost 1600 square kilometers - an area almost twice the size of the island of Rügen. More than 26,000 people were evacuated. They often had to leave their pets behind and are then dependent on volunteers like Rosene.

While thousands of firefighters are battling the flames, volunteers like Rosene are working 18 hours a day behind the fire front, so to speak. "If people can't take their animals with them, sometimes they want to stay," says Rosene. "If we can help them take their animals with them, then they get out of the disaster area and they are safer and feel better because they haven't left their animals behind."

When the Park Fire broke out, Rosene initially thought it wasn't coming his way. But by the evening of the first day, the wind shifted. Rosene and his wife Janice had to leave their home in Chico in the middle of the night. "It's almost scary because the wind was blowing and the fire was roaring. And it's coming right at you, and the sparks are flying like fireflies in the sky," Rosene says, showing pictures of a blood-red sky with clouds of black smoke.

The team is trained for all kinds of disasters

But the fire moved quickly through his area and fortunately left his house unscathed. After a few hours, Rosene and his wife were already busy rescuing animals. The couple started working with the North Valley Animal Disaster Group, a team of around 300 volunteers, twelve years ago. They are trained to deal with all kinds of disasters, from floods to fires. They take on almost every type of rescue, helicopter, high-rope rescue, search and rescue and, of course, animals.

"Our team gets to go behind the fire lines and work in the disaster system because we blend in and don't get in the way of the firefighters," says Rosene. "They're glad to have us there because when they find an animal, they don't know what to do."

The North Valley Animal Disaster Group has dealt with all kinds of animals. Rosene is the team's designated expert on snakes and lizards. He has also brought two giant emus and their chicks to safety.

Every pet is worth saving, says Rosene. "If they're stressed by fire and smoke (...) you just try to load them into a trailer or truck," he says. "That can be a real challenge." Rosene and the others lure animals that need to be evacuated into the trailer and drive them to Camelot Equestrian Park. Smaller animals such as cats and dogs are taken to an emergency shelter in Oroville.

The animal rescuers also help in other countries

Sometimes owners bring their animals themselves when they can't take care of them, Rosene said. The small animal shelter for the Park Fire houses about 100 animals, the large one houses 70, and the group is also caring for another 850 animals within the evacuation zone.

Once the fire has been extinguished in an area, it can take days before the evacuation order is lifted. The teams must remove the numerous hazards left behind by the fire: Trees that are no longer stable, power lines, nails, broken glass, tree stumps full of embers.

During the devastating Camp Fire in 2018, which destroyed several towns, Rosene and others helped more than 4,000 displaced animals. He and group leader John Maretti have traveled to more than a dozen countries to help there as well and to share their experiences.

"If there's one lesson, it's that people should be prepared to take their pets with them during a fire," Rosene said. "So if they have an emergency bag for themselves, they should have an emergency bag for their pets."