More than a dozen horses are sheltering at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, forced out of the Trabuco Canyon area by the Airport fire’s fast-moving flames and poor air quality.
“Overnight, we just didn’t know what was going to happen, so instead of waiting for evacuation (orders), we proactively moved out for the horses,” said Salym North, who overnight transported 15 horses from a ranch in Trabuco Canyon to the equestrian center.
Horses and other large animals can be brought to the center for shelter for as long as the fire lasts; the county fairgrounds regularly serve as a shelter for animals in emergencies. The fire began Monday afternoon and quickly grew to several thousand acres, prompting some mandatory evacuations and even more areas where it was recommended people leave.
North said the horses are co-owned by her and others. Depending on how the fire progresses, they might bring another 10 horses over, she said.
In the 15 years she’s been in the area, including through several fires, North said this is the first time she’s had to evacuate her horses.
North said she left around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday and worked with staff at the equestrian center overnight to get the 15 horses all boarded by around 4 a.m.
“We wanted to get them safe,” North said.
The fire, North said, was close.
“We could see the firefighters and how hard they were working,” North said. “It was absolutely incredible. They were on it and proactive. We were nervous in the middle of it, but it felt controlled.”
North said she received tremendous support from others in the community providing trailers and lending a hand to move the horses. She said the animals are stressed and her focus is to get them feeling comfortable.
Terry Moore, a spokesperson for the OC Fair & Event Center, said 19 horses from Trabuco and Santiago canyons were brought to the equestrian center since the fire broke out. The last horse arrived around 1 a.m. Tuesday, but two have since left.
“There’s plenty of capacity if things get more dire,” Moore said.
The equestrian center has room for around 80 horses, but can make temporary stalls if necessary, Moore said. More horses are expected to come.
Owners are welcome to come in and out of the facility to care for their horses, Moore said.
Anyone on their way to the fairgrounds with large animals is asked to call the 24-hour security hotline at 714-708-1588 to let them know to expect more animals incoming.
If the fairgrounds cannot accommodate the animals, Moore said the OC Sheriff’s Department will be able to coordinate getting animals to a safe place away from the fire.
Brynn Lavison, Mission Viejo’s animal services director, said 17 animals were evacuated by the agency from homes near the fire: eight dogs, five cats, a bird and three other smaller animals.
The residents could not reach their homes because of the evacuation order, so they had to call animal services and its officers got the pets in the evacuation areas.
The shelter is currently holding four dogs and a cat at the Rancho Santa Margarita Bell Tower Regional Community Center, where a care and reception shelter for evacuees has been established. Their owners had to spend the night somewhere where they couldn’t keep their pets with them.
Lavison said, in total, animal services had 52 service requests that included evacuating animals or providing supplies such as leashes or boxes to help people care for their pets while away from home.
“We are absolutely ready for more people,” Lavison said. “We still have staff at the bell tower if people are still evacuating or if they need a place to go. We can always accept animals here at the shelter for residents that are evacuating.”
