- Rescued pets displaced by LA wildfires are being relocated to Utah and other states.
- Gov. Spencer Cox thanked the Utah firefighters who are helping with the wildfires in California.
- California officials have implemented measures to provide temporary housing and limit price gouging for those who have been displaced.
The wildfires in the Los Angeles area have displaced thousands of people, but humans aren’t the only ones needing places to stay because of the fires. Dozens of rescued pets from the area have been sent to Utah to help ease the burden of overwhelmed California shelters.
Winds have died down in Southern California late Wednesday-early Thursday, easing the threat of new fires and allowing firefighters to get the upper hand on the fires that are still burning. While many of the smaller wildfires have been fully contained while the two biggest fires, Palisades and Eaton, are only partially contained.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox thanks Utah firefighters for the service
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox opened his monthly press conference Thursday morning by speaking about the devastating wildfires.
“These fires are obviously tragic, and our hearts are with our friends in California who are suffering so deeply at this time,” Cox said.
He also talked about the 64 firefighters from 17 different departments across the state of Utah who were deployed last week to help in California.
“I’m grateful to those firefighters and their families who were willing and able to step up in such a short amount of time to put themselves in harms way, to save to save life and property,” the governor said.
During the press conference Cox also shared a letter from a Southern California resident expressing gratitude for the work that the Utah firefighters have done in the area. The letter emphasized the hard work of these firefighters and the sacrifices they have made to help the people of another state.
The status of the fires as of Thursday morning
The Palisades fire is reportedly now 22% contained, up from 19% on Wednesday, according to The Los Angeles Times. The Eaton fire is now 55% contained, up from 45% on Wednesday.
According to CBS, there are still tens of thousands of people in Los Angeles County under evacuation orders. There are also curfews from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. still in place in the Palisades and Eaton fire zones.
The strong winds which have enabled the wildfires have weakened, giving firefighters a break and easing threats of more fires. But, the National Weather Service has warned that dangerous conditions are expected to pick back up next week, per CBS.
Rescued pets from California arrive in Utah
More than 80 pets rescued from the wildfire areas were sent to Utah, and have been delivered to the nation’s largest no-kill shelter, per USA Today.
A flight earlier this week carried 58 cats and 26 dogs that were taken to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab. These animals had previously been housed in the overwhelmed Los Angeles County Animal Shelter.
Some of the animals were later moved to Best Friends’ adoption center in Salt Lake City. The organization is looking for people to foster some of the rescued pets, as their facilities are starting to fill up, per KSL TV.
Another trip flew 70 additional pets from LA to Seattle on Sunday, with six of the animals transported on to Oregon.
The rescue effort is a partnership between the Best Friends Animal Society and Wings of Rescue and has transported 250 animals out of California to other states. The effort aims to clear space in overpacked Southern California shelters to help make space for pets who were separated from their owners during the fires, per USA Today.
“In the rush to evacuate a disaster such as the Palisades and Eaton fires, often pets can be escape or become separated from their owners,” the Best Friends Animal Society said in a statement, according to USA Today. “It then becomes the work of first responders and shelter workers to find and secure these lost pets until they can be reunited with their owners.”
California governor issues executive orders to help with housing
California’s governor along with other government officials have taken action to assist those who have been displaced and lost their homes because of the wildfires.
On Thursday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to help with temporary housing for those displaced by the wildfires in the LA area, per CBS.
Newsom’s order will extend a ban placed on price gouging for motel, hotel and rental housing in Los Angeles County to March 8. It also aims to make it easier to have temporary trailers on properties for residents working to rebuild. The order also included other housing-related measures.
“As thousands of Los Angeles residents have been faced with sudden displacement, the state is taking decisive action to help provide housing and assistance as quickly as possible,” Newsom said, according to CBS. “Today, we are expediting the creation of new temporary housing by removing roadblocks and strengthening protections against exploitation.”
There was another executive order issued by Newsom on Tuesday which limits speculation on properties in places where fires destroyed and damaged homes, according to The New York Times.
A Los Angeles City Council member, Eunisses Hernandez, has also introduced a motion to put a yearlong moratorium on certain types of evictions in neighborhoods affected by fires.