AccuWeather's Ali Reid reports from Pacific Palisades, California, where firefighters continue to gain ground on the wildfires. Meanwhile, many pets in the area were rescued during the fire crisis.
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00:00As we continue to update you on some of the deadly fires in Southern California,
00:04at least 25 people have died and thousands of homes have been destroyed. Firefighters
00:09continue to gain ground on the fires as the wind weakens. And Governor Gavin Newsom
00:14has signed an executive order to help expedite cleanup efforts.
00:18Our coverage continues right now with Ali Reed. She joins us live from
00:22Pacific Palisades, California with an update. And the sun rising behind you. Another day begins, Ali.
00:30Right. Good morning, ladies. We've been talking about the devastation that these wildfires have
00:35brought to neighborhoods like the Pacific Palisades where we are this morning or Altadena
00:41where we were yesterday. The safety of the residents has been first and foremost as they've
00:47been catering to a lot of these neighborhoods. But the other topic of conversation that many people
00:53have in mind right now is the safety of pets and really trying to reunite a lot of those pets
00:59with the families that are still trying to get back to their homes, by the way, like neighborhoods
01:03in the one that we're in this morning. But a lot of the humane societies have really stepped up to
01:08do their part and help in these situations. And since the fires have began, one of those
01:13organizations is the Pasadena Humane Society. They're doing everything they possibly can right
01:18now to help displaced pets. Most are pets like dogs, cats and rabbits. Right. But there have
01:23also been some unusual arrivals like cockatoos and even a horse. Many animals are arriving with
01:29serious injuries like burns, singed fur and whiskers and smoke inhalation. Each day, search
01:35and rescue teams venture into fire ravaged areas, retrieving injured wildlife and pets left behind
01:41in the chaotic moments when families fled the flames. While some evacuees have already reclaimed
01:46their animals, others are relying on the Humane Society to care for their pets until they can
01:51return. Pasadena Humane has 150 staff members, including five full time veterinarians, all
01:58working around the clock right now as they care for more than 400 animals. But to be caring for
02:04that number of animals, we've had to really make use of every space that we have in the shelter to
02:10like have pop up crates to have housing for animals that we would rarely see. And it's
02:17you know, really because we have such great you know, we have support from all over the country,
02:22all over the world financially to help us, you know, take care of these animals,
02:26but also through other agencies loaning us their animal control officers for a week or two. So we
02:32can really make progress in reuniting as many animals as possible as quickly as possible.
02:39And it's not just the workers, it's the volunteers too that have also joined in to help assist
02:43sorting donations like food, blankets and carriers. The support has been overwhelming,
02:48but organizations like the Pasadena Humane Society say the most urgent need now is financial
02:54assistance, specialized medicine and unique food supplies are very expensive and monetary
02:59donations go further than physical items and meeting these needs. As the rescue efforts
03:04continue. The focus is not just on healing, but also on preparing animals for adoption,
03:10or even reuniting them with their families. And the reunification process has really been
03:15beautiful ladies. We got to see some of those happen yesterday with our own eyes, families
03:19coming back, hoping to find their pets in some of these shelters that will continue for weeks on end.
03:26And by the way, the Humane Society, they are prepared to keep their shelter open with more
03:30again than 400 pets on a normal time. They're usually around 100 pets that they have in the
03:36Humane Society. 400 plus is where they are at right now. And they are willing to keep that
03:42number up until all of these pets are back with their families.
03:47Ali, I can only imagine witnessing some of those reuniting efforts there in a time that has been
03:53so devastating for a lot. I'm sure that brings joy to a lot of people's faces. Gave me the chills
03:58kind of hearing that and just even imagining that. So appreciate of course the update about
04:02the serious ongoing situation, but also being able to bring a little bit of a joy from such a
04:06hard situation.