VRC Fire Update

The fire broke out suddenly this afternoon, Only myself, Jake, Billy and Lil Richard were here at the time. The fire at first blew toward my next door neighbor's house so we ran and I got out his 3 horses and then Jake and I went back for his dogs. Billy and Lil Richard began to hose down the dog kennels closet to the fire. Jake then began evacuating dogs from my daughter's/parolee house by putting them all in every available vehicle. By now I had put out calls to fellow friends rescuers, etc. both by phone and email.

By this time fire fighters began to show up and though our mountain was now fully engulfed in flames and having the fire crews here gave me some relief. By now some of my other employees began to show up and neighbors and friends of my kids, etc. We began to get all the crates ready for dogs.

The fire Cpt then came over to me and said we needed to get ready to leave. That's when I became hysterical and said NO WAY NO HOW. I told him he needed to give us a Plan B and that we would under no circumstances leave the animals behind. He gave in and said..."well okay then. Let's do it!!!" He told us to start at the top of the property and get those animals down first. So we began with the 20 plus wolves and wolfdogs that now belong to the Wolf Connection group. I then called my friends who keep their exotic animals here and they came up and began to get them out in trailers.

Then a neighbor from down the road came up with a big horse trailer and offered to load the crates up and take them down the road into his barn. I was hesitant because I was waiting for all of my normal evacuation people and hell the wolf people still weren't here. I couldn't figure out where the hell they were so I caved in and let this cowboy from Heaven who I was just meeting for the first time, take off with the first load of animals and a couple of my guys to assist.

We then began to get the dogs out of the kennels and get them ready for the next load. But where were my regular volunteers, dog handlers, wolf people?? Then I get a panicked call from my older daughter. She had gone down the road to take a load of dogs to our cowboy's house and the cops had blocked the road and wouldn't let her, my workers, volunteers and evacuators with trailers and crates come up the road. Despite the orders from our fire fighters telling us to get the animals out the cops at the end of our dirt road wouldn't let anyone up. The fire Cpt sent word down the road to let our people up.

They arrived safe and ready to roll. We took down several more loads and back to cowboy's barn. Because the cop still wouldn't let our trailers with cages and crates come up, we continued to send the cowboy back and forth on the road. By this time the fire fighters were starting to get a handle on the fire. Then came the inmate fire fighters who work the ground crews. Orange jumpsuits never looked so good as I watch them "suit up" to take on the battle. Then I saw them whisper among each other and look back at me as if they wanted to say something. Then one of them got the nerve and said, "we love what you do Tia. We watch your show and we love it" I about fell over.....they were going to risk their lives to save our dogs. Between them and the fire fighters I began to breathe a sigh of relief.

But the Cpt told me we weren't out of the woods yet and we needed to remove all of the animals from the mountain area but we could leave the dogs in the main kennel, He said they would do their best to keep the fire away but the dogs might take in a lot of smoke. Then I began to panic again…

After an amount of time that I couldn't tell you, Mother Nature changed her mind and went back over the mountain right up the side of our kennel area. The fire Cpt asked me if there were any houses on the other side and I told them there was a big cattle ranch. Within minutes as the fire went over the mountain we heard a big explosion and a big flash. I don't even want to know what it was but it shook us all up.

So we were given the go ahead to start to bring the dogs back first. Then as night came, the wolves and exotics made their way back up the road. It is late now and the fire crews are still out there putting out hot spots. The air reeks with smoke but it's to be expected. We are all exhausted and a little bit traumatized. Maybe even in shock. Our place is a mess right now with all the chaos so it will take a day to get things settled again. The animals are VERY VERY stressed right now so hopefully tomorrow will be a peaceful one.

The response from all of you has been OVERWHELMING and if my eyes weren't so dry from smoke, I'd cry :)

We're okay now and thank you isn't even good enough for those of who cared so much about us. I just love Pit Bull people!!!

Hugs and drools,
Tia Maria Torres