The Bolt Creek Fire, now over 9,400 acres, continues to burn near our sanctuary. We have been on high alert and preparing to evacuate all of our animals if needed.
The wildfire, now only 5% contained, appears to be slowing but we are not completely out of the woods yet. We have a comprehensive evacuation plan in place, which is reviewed by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries and practiced by our team annually. We have made additional preparations and lined up volunteers should we get the evacuation notice. Mobilizing as many animals as we have is not an easy feat, especially our larger cows and pigs who weigh up to 1,000+ lbs.
On Saturday, we sent a team of around 25 volunteers to the Evergreen State Fairgrounds to help clean and prepare stalls for the animals in our care and in the community if needed. In the meantime, we have been diligently cleaning ash from our animals’ coats and using fans and filters in barns to keep everyone as safe as possible in the smoky conditions.
Running an 85-acre sanctuary requires that we be prepared for crisis situations. We are responsible for the 200+ animals in our care and we take this very seriously. Your support helps ensure our team is able to prepare for natural events like wildfires and floods.
We are grateful for the firefighters who are doing an amazing job and we are hopeful they will be able to get the fire more contained. We will keep you updated should we need to evacuate.
