San Bernardino Animal Services helps victims of fire find pets – Newsbreak

The staff of the animal department in San Bernardino help their colleagues in Los Angeles after a deadly fire that devastated the Pacific Palisades and parts of Malibu.

On January 15, the city received a formal request for help to control animals from LA after the Palisades fire.

Animal Services and Riverside County, San Bernardino County and the city of Vijo Mission to Orange County have sent animal control employees in the fire department to seek and save pets and wildlife that were lost, left behind.

“The assistance for other jurisdictions that need disaster is not only the right thing, but our staff acquires decisive skills that can help residents of San Bernardino if something happens here,” said San Bernardino Director Chris Watson in A statement on Tuesday.

An animal service supervisor Ariana Gonzalez, an animal control officer Eduardo Alvarez and animal control staff Patrick Galvan, Jasmine Torres and Estavan Barahas worked in shifts traveling to Los Angeles to participate in their efforts.

“The vision of the devastation was heartbreaking and the conditions were difficult, but finding lost pets and their return to their grateful owners was very useful,” Gonzalez says in a statement. “The assessment of locals, including the comedian Jay Leno, has made the hard work worth it.”

Officers’ day will start with a list of addresses and pet owners who hope to find or receive an update from pets who had to leave behind, the city’s statement said.

In one case, San Bernardino officers informed a resident whose home was destroyed that the 28 Pisces in one of its lakes who survived after the flame. San Bernardino’s staff managed to find and evacuate the fish, which are now recovering into a pond at Studios Dreamworks.

“She was so happy that their fish was fine,” Gonzalez said. “That gave them hope in what was a terrible situation.”

Officials said the Federal Emergency Management Agency would restore the city for paid time to staff.

The fire of 23 448 acres of palisades caused the death of at least 12 people, destroyed 6,837 structures and damage 1,017.