Smoke rising from wildfires in Los Angeles County, Calif., provided an uneasy backdrop for the teams of rescuers tending to animal evacuees housed at Pierce College, just eight miles from the fires. At one time the college housed more than 210 horses, mules, and other livestock.

As of Sept. 29, wildfires fueled by dry conditions and the seasonal Santa Ana winds burned across 10 miles of ridgeline in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties, consuming an estimated 17,000 acres. Aided by aircraft, some 3,000 firefighters worked to control the blazes, which were only about 5% contained the morning of Sept. 30, according to Los Angeles County Fire officials.

California wildfires, as of Sept. 30, cunsumed an estimated 17,000 acres just outside of Los Angeles.  Courtesy Yvonne Kleiman

“The winds have died down substantially and that’s going to be a big advantage for us in getting control,” said Los Angeles County fire Capt. Kurt Schaefer in an article in the The Monterey County Herald. “With the weather changing, we should start to see the containment numbers go up.”  

In the article Schaefer said he plans to use every resource available to control the fire. Neighboring fire departments from as far as San Diego have offered their assistance