State emergency offices have activated fairgrounds in Solano, Napa, Nevada, Monterey, Los Angeles and Plumas Counties to serve as evacuation centers for people and livestock from the wildfires.
Horses, goats, chickens, sheep and donkeys are among the animals being sheltered. According to a CDFA statement, “They will be cared for as long as necessary, and every effort will be made to reunite them with their owners.”
The UC Davis Veterinary Emergency Response Team, comprised of voluntary faculty and staff, is helping with animal rescue and medical treatment. School of Veterinary Medicine Dean Michael Lairmore has been reaching out to the public for donations to support the team's work.
“Evacuations of all creatures great and small active in the face of devastation of the LNU Lightning Complex fires, as we prepare to assist,” said Lairmore in a tweet Wednesday.
Gov. Newsom said during a press conference Wednesday the state is battling 23 major fires. These are known as “complex” fires because they involve several smaller fires combining into one. The state is fighting more than 300 active fires in total.
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In an op-ed for the Sacramento Bee on Wednesday, Senator Richard Pan of Sacramento urged the federal government to deliver emergency stimulus funding to rescue CalExpo, one of the state’s largest fairs, from closing permanently. As an independent state agency, the fair does not qualify for federal relief loans.
Pan points out that CalExpo has played a critical role in state emergencies, from housing the homeless to providing COVID-19 testing and being a staging area for battling wildfires.
Top photo: UC Davis
