Southern California Wildfires Kill Thousands of Horses as others are left Injured, Fleeing from Uncontrollable Flames
Owners, grooms, stable hands and horse lovers in Southern California have raced to save thousands of horses from the wildfires that have engulfed the region.
Over 141,000 acres have burned so far this past week as the fires continue to move at an astonishing rate due to the current ‘tornado’ like winds.
Horses that have survived have needed considerable veterinary attention for burns and other wounds, many have perished in ranches across the region. Horses have been seen galloping freely away from the flames, others have been evacuated to other bases in another state.
Over 230,000 people have either been evacuated or had to flee their homes in a number of fires that are being tackled by fire crews as well as military forces.
There has been a total of six fires across four counties so far, fire crews expect to continue fighting flames for another two weeks.
The San Lluis Rey Training centre, San Diego, was unfortunately caught in the wildfire named Lilac.
The facility had housing for up to 500 horses at any one time but is not thought to have been at full capacity when the wildfire hit, on Thursday. Although a large majority of horses have been saved, unfortunately there is a number that have perished in the fire.
Another ranch is Sylmar, Los Angeles, have thought to have lost 29 horses from the Creek Fire. To date, the Thomas Fire in California, has been recorded as the most destructive.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.