L.A. COUNTY FIRES
Fires raged through L.A. County at the start of the new year, one month after the Franklin Fire spread through Malibu and burned Pepperdine’s hillsides. Now communities return to pick up the pieces and rebuild.
Students, residents and reporters use a variety of apps to stay informed of fire updates A timeline of the wildfires in L.A. County
Photo courtesy of Ryan Bough Design by Betsy Burrow | Creative Director
Letter from the editor
Gabrielle Salgado Managing Editor
Pepperdine is no stranger to fire. In November, the Broad Fire ignited across from campus. One week later, a small brush fire burned on campus near The Mountain construction site.
On Dec. 9, as we prepared to wrap up the semester, the Franklin Fire erupted in Malibu Canyon. Pepperdine students endured smoke and flames throughout the night and into the next day.
Some students sheltered in place while others chose to evacuate from campus — all of which exemplified bravery and strength.
Graphic staff members decided to dedicate a special print edition to the Franklin Fire. Minutes after the first staff meeting for this edition, the Palisades Fire ignited in Pacific Palisades.
Members of the Pepperdine and Malibu communities lost their homes and ways of life. Landmarks full of Malibu history were wiped away overnight.
We are in unprecedented times in Pepperdine history. Our fall semester was cut short due to a fire and the beginning of our spring semester felt uncertain with
the ignition of a second fire. While our community burned in front of us, more fires spread throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
Our community came together to support each other, as it always does in the face of tragedy. On behalf of the Graphic staff, I would like to thank all first responders — throughout California, surrounding states, Canada and Mexico — who put their lives on the line to protect our community.
This edition is not dedicated to rehashing painful memories, but rather archiving the historical events of the Franklin and Palisades fires. While our beautiful hillsides and coastline
might not look how we wish to remember them and our drive on PCH will look vastly different, the burn scars are a reminder of the strength and resilience of Malibu and Pepperdine.
I hope as you read this edition, you are reminded that you are not alone. Now is a time to lean on one another and support each other. It will take a community to rebuild, and it is within this community we will find healing.
Ryan Bough
Ryan Bough is a senior at Pepperdine and a former Graphic staff photographer. He is a volunteer firefighter who helped fight the Franklin and Palisades fires. Bough contributed photos from both fires to the Graphic.
Photo
Tim Horton is a Malibu local who lives on Pepperdine’s campus. Horton is married to Connie Horton, vice president of Student Affairs. He is a local photographer and trained EMT who contributed photos from both the Franklin and Palisades fires to the Graphic.
gabrielle.salgado@pepperdine.edu
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Address:
Tim Horton
Tim Horton
Malibu/ Malibu Daily News
Scorched hillsides are a backdrop to Pepperdine’s campus and Malibu Country Estates on Jan. 15. The Franklin Fire burned the hillsides surrounding campus in December.
Photo by Mary Elisabeth | Photo Editor
Infographic by Betsy Burrow | Creative Director
Students and faculty navigate housing losses
Amanda Monahan Life & Arts Editor
Ava Heinert News Editor
For junior Vivian Vallely, Jan. 7 was supposed to be a fun day at Disneyland with her teammates. Vallely and her roommate returned to Pepperdine early from winter break to practice with the Women’s Swim & Dive team.
Instead, Vallely and her roommate would become part of the 45 confirmed Pepperdine students who lost their homes as a result of last week’s fires, according to the President’s Briefing Jan. 13.
“Pretty much the whole area around our house was surrounded by flames, and we were starting to lose hope a little bit,” Vallely said.
Vallely, who lived in Malibu, said she watched for updates throughout the day, but wasn’t too worried since the flames seemed far from her off-campus apartment. As the team returned to campus though, PCH was closed and the fire was within one mile of Vallely’s apartment.
Vallely said she later received a text from her landlord that the apartment building was gone. Since then, she has been home in Orange County, where her Pepperdine roommate soon joined her.
Vallely said she reached out to the Student Care Team, who quickly sent both her and her roommate emergency fund money. The two have also re-
ceived immense support from the Swim & Dive families at Pepperdine, various influencers and other universities’ Swim & Dive programs.
“We’ve had so much come in, and we’re definitely going to donate some ourselves because we have more than we need,” Vallely said. “We have the entire Swim and Dive community behind us, which is amazing.
So many teams like Fresno State, University of San Diego, UCSD and Clovis Swim Club — they all opened their doors to our team.”
In the aftermath of losing their home, Vallely said she and her roommate weighed various options for what to do moving forward. The two will soon be moving in with two of their teammates who have an extra room.
“We felt like since we had that option, we wanted to leave whatever on-campus housing they have for people that don’t necessarily have that option so they can have somewhere to go,” Vallely said.
Pepperdine is offering support for students who have been affected by the wildfires.
Connie Horton, vice president of Student Affairs, said student support can be broken down into three main areas: Student Care Team, mental and physical health, and Pepperdine’s Housing and Residence Life.
The Student Care Team serves as the main point of contact for any students suffering from loss, displacement and other fire-related issues, Horton said.
Horton said much of the
work is in trying to understand the needs of the students and provide immediate financial support while the Student Care Team works with students to sort out their long-term care.
“Whether you’ve had some damage, whether you’ve lost everything, whether you’ve been displaced, we can help,” Horton said.
The Student Care Team and HRL are working with students who are requesting emergency housing on campus, whether temporarily or long-term, Horton said. Pepperdine is offering emergency housing for up to seven days through a scholarship that allows students to stay on campus free of charge while they develop other housing arrangements.
For long-term housing, there are current structures in place to rehouse students who have lost their homes and decide if they would like to live on campus, Horton said. If finances are a concern, Pepperdine is offering a significant reduction
in fees to help students and refer them to other services as needed.
In the area of physical and mental health care for students, Horton said she recommends that students utilize the Counseling Center and Student Health Center.
For those affected by the fires, Horton said a lot of processing and healing is to be expected for the next few months. Whether students are suffering cognitively or residentially, the Pepperdine community is prepared to help alleviate some of the burden.
Vallely said throughout this process, even the smallest acts have meant the most to her and her roommate — she has felt so grateful for everything everyone has been willing to give.
“It’s kind of hard to remember everything that we had and to buy everything back,” Vallely said. “But I mean, we have enough for now to get us through, and it’s going to be a long process — it’s not really
something we can do all right now.”
Vallely said she advises other students in similar situations to take it day by day, knowing that some days will be harder than others. Additionally, she has found comfort in knowing she’s not alone and suggests others accept whatever help they might need.
“I’m a firm believer in how everything happens for a reason, and this is just another life lesson that I’m going to learn and grow so much from,” Vallely said. “At the end of the day, it’s just things that are gone, and I’m so blessed to have such a great family and support system and friends around me.”
amanda.monahan@pepperdine.edu
Photos courtesy of Ryan Bough
Firefighters spray water on buildings during the Palisades Fire. The fire ignited in Pacific Palisades and spread to surrounding areas, including Malibu and Topanga.
Palisades Fire: Photospread
More than 23,700 acres have been scorched and over 3,500 buildings destroyed as the Pacific Palisades fire, which ignited Jan. 7, continues to ravage the area, spreading across both Pacific Palisades and Malibu. As of Jan. 17, the fire remains only 31% contained, resulting in many people still unable to access their homes. Local firefighters and emergency services have made significant efforts to control the blaze, but strong winds and limited resources have slowed containment. Gov. Gavin Newsom has pledged immediate aid, while authorities urge residents to stay informed and comply with evacuation orders.
Photo courtesy of Tim Horton Photo Malibu / Malibu Daily News Photo courtesy of Ryan Bough
Photo courtesy of Ryan Bough
Photo courtesy of Ryan Bough
Photo by Mary Elisabeth | Photo Editor
Photo by Mary Elisabeth | Photo Editor
Photo courtesy of Tim Horton Photo Malibu / Malibu Daily News
Photo courtesy of Ryan Bough
Photo courtesy of Ryan Bough
Pepp EOC activates during wildfires
Tony Gleason Associate Editor & Social Media Manager
Senior Reporter
Pepperdine’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC)— responsible for communicating to the Pepperdine community when there’s an emergency— activated during the Franklin Fire and L.A. County wildfires that ignited in early January.
During finals week, on Dec. 9, the University alerted the community of a power outage that later called for the shelter-in-place of all Pepperdine students living on campus to relocate to Tyler Campus Center or Payson Library. This call was made by the University’s EOC.
Leading up to the call instructing for shelter-in-place, the University sent emails sharing that they were monitoring the fire and later reminded students of shelter-in-place protocol. As parts of Malibu were evacuating, students on campus were instructed to shelter on campus.
“Despite any evacuation orders from Malibu city or surrounding areas, the University community should follow University instructions,” the EOC wrote in an email on Dec. 10 activating shelter-in-place. “We do not evacuate the campus even when surrounding areas might — this shelter-in-place protocol is approved by L.A. County Fire and executed with their cooperation.”
The EOC is composed of 19 of Pepperdine’s senior leaders including President Jim Gash, Executive Vice President Phil Phillips chair and Lee Kats interim dean of Seaver College. Director of Emergency Services Jonathan Weber has led and served as the EOC director since 2019.
“During emergencies, the EOC leads and protects the University,” according to the EOC’s website. “Its highest priority is placed on the safety of the Pepperdine University
community including students, faculty, staff, visitors, alumni, etc. Once life safety issues are addressed, the EOC subsequently considers other issues such as property protection, limiting liability, and managing the University’s reputation.”
Part of how they do this is through the implementation of annual campus fire drills, campus brush clearing and emergency response presentations during New Student Orientation (NSO), according to the website.
The EOC works off of 20 individualized response plans customized to the campus to prepare for any sort of natural disaster as well as human threat.
“These plans are regularly updated as we learn from going through emergencies, such as Woolsey, the experiences of others, or as best practices evolve,” Weber wrote in a Jan. 16 email to the Graphic.
Other natural disasters the EOC has studied and learned from to adapt their program to include Hurricane Katrina, Fukushima, the H1N1 virus and COVID-19.
These plans are regularly updated as we learn from going through emergencies such as Woolsey.
Jonathan Weber Director of EOC
“Because of our location in Malibu, response plans call for the University to be its own first responder initially, before support from local first responders arrives,” according to the EOC website.
During the two nights of the Franklin Fire, while the EOC was activated, the team met in the Seaver Boardroom of the
Thornton Administrative Center to discuss their plan of action, Weber said.
“The EOC operates in a team environment, with each individual bringing their own perspective and expertise to the table,” Weber wrote to the Graphic.
The team gathers information from multiple sources to make decisions regarding the citation at hand, according to the EOC website. Some of those sources include incident command posts, news media, existing professional contacts and social media.
“While the EOC is tasked with leading the University through challenging circumstances there is a sense of calm that permeates the room, as leaders lean on their faith, Pepperdine’s proven experience in dealing with challenging circumstances, and the relationships the team has with one another,” Weber wrote.
The EOC’s communication line consists of posting live updates on the University’s Emergency Information Page, Everbridge messages sent via phone and email and the University’s social media accounts, according to the EOC website.
“Maintaining open lines of communication with the University community is one of the top priorities for the EOC as it allows information to flow to the EOC and be disseminated to the University community so individuals can respond to the situation appropriately,” according to the EOC website.
Handling the Fires
The Franklin Fire originally ignited north of campus at the Malibu Creek State Park, according to NASA. From there, Santa Ana winds helped spread the fire, as it engulfed over 2,600 acres in the first day.
Weber wrote once Pepperdine realized the Franklin Fire was a threat to campus safety, they activated their shelterin-place order at 1:11 a.m., on Dec. 10, the first night of the fire. This shelter-in-place would end up being the first of two shelter-in-place orders.
“When the Franklin fire first started, the initial hope was that it could be quickly contained by firefighters,” Weber wrote. “However due to the challenging conditions posed by the winds and the canyon terrain, this was not possible, and the order to shelter in place was quickly agreed upon, and then shared with the University community via Everbridge.”
The Palisades Fire started Jan. 7, when many of Pepperdine’s students had yet to return to campus for the spring semester. The EOC sent out their first alert to the Pepperdine community at 11:24 a.m. PST, which said the fire was 10 acres and not a threat to campus.
The EOC would go on to send seven updates on the Palisades Fire within the next day, and eight regarding other L.A. County fires within the next week. All of which would alert the community of how much the fire has spread, resources those affected by the fire should reach out to and how Pepperdine specifically has been impacted.
“When the [Palisades] fire started, the EOC was activated and gathered to oversee the
University’s response,” Weber wrote. “As the fire approached the burned area from the Franklin fire, flames became visible from the campus, and some members of the EOC stayed up through the night for several nights to ensure Pepperdine was ready to respond as needed.”
tony.gleason@pepperdine.edu
rachel.flynn@pepperdine.edu
Photo by Liam Zieg | Currents Co-Photo Editor
Charred ground stretches alongside Malibu Canyon Road in December, following the Franklin Fire. During the Franklin Fire, Pepperdine’s Emergency Operations Center was activated signaling a series of emails to the Pepperdine community.
Rachel Flynn
Photo courtesy of Tim Horton Photo Malibu / Malibu Daily News
The Franklin Fire burns near Pepperdine in December before the L.A. County wildfires broke out in January. Pepperdine’s EOC was activated both times.
Malibu’s Path to Rebuilding
More than 27,750 acres burned. Approximately 3,520 structures destroyed. This is the impact that the Franklin and Palisades fires left on the Malibu and Pacific Palisades communities as of Jan. 17, according to Cal Fire.
Over the past two months, Malibu has faced two large wildfires. The Franklin Fire ignited the night of Dec. 9 and scorched through Pepperdine’s campus. The Palisades Fire sparked a month later Jan. 7.
Although the fires have left scars throughout the city, they have strengthened a community that is supporting each other. Malibu’s Emergency Operations Committee has utilized Pepperdine’s campus as a headquarters for their recovery efforts, Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart said.
“The relationship between Pepperdine and Malibu has never been stronger than it is today,” Stewart said.
City Efforts
The city’s main efforts are on reopening, repopulating and clearing the roads — focusing on taking care of its residents first.
“We’ve got to take care of getting the city reopened right now,” Stewart said. “Our Public Works teams are working in coordination with the county and the state to clear the roads, get ready for the rains, and more than anything else, get
We’ll do our best to make it back as good as it was before, if not better.
Malibu at a point where we can get people in and out.”
Even further than those directly impacted by these fires, residents whose businesses survived the blaze are seeing the effects as well.
“If you’re in the restaurant business right now, you can’t even open for business because you probably don’t have a gas stove to cook anything on, much less hot water,” Stewart said the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 14.
Furthermore, the impact these businesses face goes beyond just the loss of an establishment; it includes a loss of revenue, jobs and a small community, Stewart said. Many businesses that have burned down have set up GoFundMe pages as a first step toward recovery and rebuilding and, most importantly, to prioritize the needs of the workers who have lost their jobs.
Take Moonshadows, for example, as the establishment was just one of many lost to the blazes. Owner JD Slajchert has experienced wildfires before, as his childhood home burned down during the Woolsey Fire in 2018, according to a CBS News article.
This prompted him to take to social media asking for the community’s support in raising money for those who helped keep his business afloat, understanding the hardships and struggles his crew may be facing.
“I hope that anybody out there watching, maybe that’s
just lost a home or lost a business, can look at us and say, ‘Hey, you’ll be okay, you will bounce back from this,’” Sclajchert said in the same CBS article. “Brighter days are ahead.”
The city of Malibu is determined to help local businesses survive, Stewart said. Bringing residents back into the city once it’s safe to do so will bring business back.
Pepperdine students, Stewart said, will play an important role in keeping the city’s economy afloat.
“We asked the students to bear with us, and their presence helps support Malibu going forward,” Stewart said. “When they go down to Howdy’s or one of these other places and gets a burrito, that’s helping out, and we appreciate that very much.”
State Efforts
Fires spread throughout L.A., prompting a response from government officials including California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“When the fires are extinguished, victims who have lost their homes and businesses must be able to rebuild quickly and without roadblocks,” Newsom said on the official California website. “The executive order I signed today will help cut permitting delays, an important first step in allowing our communities to recover faster and stronger. I’ve also ordered our state agencies to identify
additional ways to streamline the rebuilding and recovery process.”
However, fast rebuilds will only mirror the infrastructure of the home that was damaged or destroyed by the fires, Stewart said.
“What it’s not going to do is to allow somebody to go, ‘I always wanted to have 3,000 square feet instead of 2,000 square feet,’” Stewart said. “If that’s what you want to do, you’re going to go to the back of the line, probably.”
On Jan. 15, Gov. Newsom went a step further and signed a new executive order to jumpstart the cleanup process of damaged and destroyed homes in L.A. County once it is safe to do so, according to Newsom’s website.
“Cleanup crews are moving into neighborhoods devastat-
ed by this firestorm,” Newsom said on the official Governor of California website. “California is working swiftly to ensure survivors from these devastating firestorms can begin their road to recovery. We appreciate the fast-acting work of teams on the ground to begin this first phase of recovery — all while first responders are continuing to battle ongoing flames in the area.”
Although rebuilding the city quickly is a priority, it will still be some time before change is noticeable.
“It’s going to take at least a year or two to get some of these homes rebuilt, even if we fasttrack everything, and we will,” Stewart said.
gabrielle.salgado@pepperdine.edu
justin.rodriguez@pepperdine.edu
Gabrielle Salgado Managing Editor
Justin Rodriguez Sports Editor
Photo courtesy of Tim Horton Photo Malibu / Malibu Daily News Flames spread all around the mountainside behind the Malibu Pier during the Franklin Fire on Dec. 9. The Franklin Fire reached Pepperdine’s campus early Dec. 10.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Bough
The Palisades Fire moves toward a structure on the hillside. The fire burned over 23,700 acres, according to Cal Fire.
Photo coutesy of Ryan Bough
Burned homes, trees and cars line a street in the Pacific Palisades. Thousands of structures were burned in the Palisades Fire.
Doug Stewart Malibu Mayor
Franklin Fire: Photospread
On Dec. 9, the Franklin Fire ignited near Malibu Canyon Road, quickly spreading toward Pepperdine University’s Malibu campus. As it grew to over 4,000 acres, mandatory evacuations were ordered for nearby residents, while students at Pepperdine were placed under a shelter-in-place protocol. Firefighters battled fierce winds to contain the blaze, which was fully contained by Dec. 18. Despite no fatalities, the fire destroyed 20 structures and damaged 28 others. Similar to the Pacific Palisades fire, the Franklin Fire’s rapid spread posed challenges for containment. While the cause remains under investigation, recovery efforts continue in the affected areas.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Bough
Photo courtesy of Ryan Bough
Photo courtesy of Ryan Bough
Photo courtesy of Ryan Bough
Photo courtesy of Ryan Bough
Photo by Liam Zieg | Currents Co-Photo Editor
Photo by Liam Zieg | Currents Co-Photo Editor
Photo courtesy of Ryan Bough
Students stay informed during L.A. fires
Gabrielle Salgado Managing Editor
Amanda Monahan Life & Arts Editor
Red Flag warnings and dangerously high winds created rapidly changing conditions during the recent Franklin and Palisades fires. Due to these fast-changing conditions, students turned to various platforms to stay up to date with information.
The Franklin Fire ignited Dec. 9, while students were studying for finals. One month later, the Palisades Fire sparked as students were preparing to return to campus for the spring semester. The Palisades Fire was the first of several fires that spread throughout L.A. County. To keep up, some students said they turned to social media, local news and fire tracking apps as a way to stay informed throughout the blazes.
“I think again, going back to watching it through a screen, I felt like I couldn’t do anything as it was happening and that was really hard for me,” sophomore Nicole Sleiman said.
Students Stay in the Loop
Sleiman said her heart dropped when she initially found out about the fire in the Pacific Palisades because of its close proximity to Pepperdine and the effects of the recent Franklin Fire. As she kept up with the fire from her home in Orange County, Sleiman said everything started to feel real when the places on her screen began to look familiar.
“It really felt real when places I’ve been to started to burn down such as Cholada,” Sleiman said. “It was like another home for me and my friends — we would always go when we were feeling down or weren’t feeling well.”
Sleiman said she has primarily kept up to date with the fires through ABC7’s broadcasts as well as social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. She said she found TikTok to have more personal
footage, as many evacuees and residents who lost their homes shared their stories through the platform.
Sophomore Lizzy Crawford is a member of the Women’s Track and Cross Country teams, so she had to return to Malibu before the spring semester. As a result, Crawford and her teammates were in Malibu when the Palisades Fire began, and she said she felt heartbroken as the fires were close to her physically but also close to the Pepperdine community.
“It’s hard to be so close to everything but to not be able to be there on the front lines to stop it,” Crawford said. “I had to keep opening the news and social media for my safety, but as that was going on I just kept feeling such grief and sadness to see everything that was being lost.”
Crawford said her suitemate told her to download the Watch Duty app during the Franklin Fire, and that she felt lucky to have already had it at the start of the ongoing L.A. County fires. Watch Duty alerts users of the latest updates, evacuation areas and fire spread.
Crawford has also turned to The New York Times as a main source of information throughout the recent fires. She said it has been surreal to not only read about the fires, but to also be a part of them.
“It’s been crazy to experience both the Franklin and now Palisades and Kenneth fires, and the fact that I’ll be getting a New York Times email about the natural disaster that I’m currently living in,” Crawford said.
Crawford has also used KTLA as a more local news source, as she said the station showed her things others didn’t, such as the gridlock and bulldozing of cars in the Palisades. She said she made a point not to go on social media as a source of updates and information.
Sleiman said she has immense admiration for the news reporters who have been on the front lines keeping the community and world updated during
such a devastating time.
“It’s definitely a dangerous situation, but they [news reporters] kept all of our communities informed,” Sleiman said. “It’s something that you have to be really, really strong to do, to put yourself in that position.”
Local Journalism
Brianna Willis (‘21), Pepperdine alumna and former Graphic Digital Editor, reported on the scene at the Palisades and Eaton fires. Willis is a live reporter for ABC30 in Fresno and traveled to Southern California to cover the fires. Her coverage aired on ABC30 and other local ABC stations in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
While reporting on the fires, Willis said it was important that she stayed up to date with the latest information. To do this, Willis turned to county and city alerts, as well as social media.
“Every time there was going to be a press conference, once they announced it I knew that
it was happening, and I filed that away,” Willis said. Willis said she recommends others do the same to stay up to date.
“Make sure you’re up to date and following all of the city and county pages and websites, because they put the information when they send out a blast,” Willis said. “They put it basically in all those same locations.”
Aside from county alerts, Willis said journalists reporting on the fires worked together to share the most up-to-date information. She recalled a time when she was watching a press conference and learned about the current containment and fatalities. Willis sent a message in her work group chat to update a reporter who was about to go live on air.
“I sent it immediately to our station group chat and the reporter that was airing for the 6 o’clock story for the Palisades fire, they were able to tell her in her ear while her package was airing, ‘Hey, also say this about the containment and the
deaths,’” Willis said.
Willis, a LA native, said local journalism plays an integral role in keeping communities informed during times of disaster and tragedy. Journalists who are familiar with the community they are reporting on tend to approach stories differently.
“It’s the care, it’s the heart, and it’s the fact that it’s your community,” Willis said. “I think that’s what makes a difference, and it really shows in the reporting and the stories that you do.”
gabrielle.salgado@pepperdine.edu amanda.monahan@pepperdine.edu
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Smith | Graphic Adviser
Pepperdine students gather around a window in Payson Library as the Franklin Fire reached campus Dec. 9. Students stayed up to date with news on the Franklin and Palisades fires through various platforms.
Infographic by Gabrielle Salgado | Managing Editor
Rescue groups seek fosters, adopters
Rachel Flynn Senior Reporter
Animals across California are experiencing a crisis due to the recent L.A. County wildfires, but organizations like Ace of Hearts Dog Rescue and L.A. County Animal Care & Control are working to ensure they get the help they need.
Jackie Mullaney arrived at the office of Ace of Hearts Dog Rescue in the Palisades the morning of Jan. 7. The smoke was already visible and planes in the distance worked to extinguish the fires, she said. Mullaney’s boss, who also lived there, was working remotely in Colorado, so Mullaney kept her informed with videos and messages.
“And everyone was kind of communicating, saying, like, ‘Do we evacuate? Should we leave?’” Mullaney said.
The animals the rescue cares for are all in foster care, so Ace of Hearts Dog Rescue didn’t have to load up any animals. However, they did need to grab all of the office’s files and important documents kept on hand in the office, Mullaney said. This would be the last time they saw their office.
The Ace of Hearts Dog Rescue has spent the past 25 years rescuing dogs from being euthanized by placing them in foster homes. Since the onset of the fires, Mullaney said her team has been busy reaching out to shelters impacted while also searching for a new office.
“That way, we can get some of those dogs out of the shelters and start putting them into foster homes,” Mullaney said.
The dog rescue works to ensure the animals they receive are up to date on vaccines and that any medical concerns are well taken care of, Mullaney said.
“We provide all of their food and supplies and take care of them while we look for their forever homes,” Mullaney said.
The Ace of Hearts Dog Rescue has an adoption event Saturday, Jan. 18 at the Petco in West Hollywood to raise donations, Mullaney said.
“We really need beds, toys,” Mullaney said. “We have tons of beds in our office that were completely destroyed.”
L.A. County Animal Care & Control is responsible for sheltering hundreds of displaced animals, big and small, across their seven care centers. Since the L.A County wildfires began, the L.A. County Animal Care & Control has sheltered over 200 livestock, including horses. They have also rescued 100 small animals including dogs, cats, turtles and chickens, Public Information Officer Chris Valles said.
Their staff works around the clock at all locations to provide the much-needed service for animals directly affected by the
fires. Teams across the seven care centers work relentlessly during 12-hour shifts switching off continuously, Valles said.
The L.A. County Animal Care services six other communities outside of Agoura, but Valles said all of their care facilities have been overwhelmed since the beginning of the wildfires.
“It [the fires] has inundated our care centers,” Valles said.
However, they’ve received a lot of assistance from adoption partners, rescue organizations, Northern California animal care welfare agencies as well as out-of-state agencies, Valles said.
“They have stepped up tremendously and adopted and rescued many animals that have been in our care for such a long time,” Valles said.
Various organizations’ partnerships have allowed the L.A. County Animal Care centers to take in an influx of animals impacted by the wildfires, providing them a safe home until they can be adopted or returned to their original owners.
All seven locations including Agoura, Baldwin Park, Carson, Castaic, Downey, Lancaster and Palmdale are open to animals affected by the fires. Valles said all seven of the L.A. County Animal Care centers offer shelter to small animals affected by the fires.
Valles said there are a few ways the public can get involved to help assist L.A. County Animal Care & Control in providing care to innocent animals.
“We’re asking the community to come forward and if you can adopt an animal, again that’s been in our care, that helps us tremendously,” Valles said.
We provide all of their food and supplies and take care of them while we look for their forever homes.
Jackie Mullaney
Operations Manager
Through January, L.A. County Animal Care & Control is working with Petco Love to make adopting an animal a little easier by reducing the adoption fees “to encourage people to come to adopt,” Valles said.
They are also calling willing community members who cannot adopt to consider fostering an animal instead.
“And fostering is just as
good as adopting, because even though the animal may not be there long term or permanently, it does give them a sense of normalcy and great socialization skills,” Valles said.
For individuals who may have lost an animal due to the fires, Valles said to visit their website to see if the lost pet is listed. All residents living within regions impacted by the fires will not have to pay a fee so they may be reunited with their pets.
Valles strongly advises those evacuating and preparing to evacuate to pack an animal emergency kit just in case. Items he suggests including in the to-go kit include veterinarian paperwork, photos of the pet, microchip, any medication the pet is prescribed, leashes, food and a blanket.
“If an evacuation order is issued, you can just grab that and leave right away,” Valles said.
Photo courtesy of Sabine Crawford
Recently rescued dog resting before being picked up by his new foster family. The Ace of Hearts Dog Rescue has been working to rescue animals for 25 years.
Photo courtesy of Jackie Mullaney
The Ace of Hearts Dog Rescue office of 10 years and home of the owner before the Palisades fire. Smoke from the Palisades Fire became visible Jan. 7.
Photo courtesy of Kenny Benedetto
The Ace of Hearts Dog Rescue office in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire. Jackie Mullaney evacuated the office while the fire spread.
Photo by Liam Zieg | Currents Co-Photo Editor
Photo by Liam Zieg | Currents Co-Photo Editor
Photo by Mary Elisabeth | Photo Editor
Photo by Mary Elisabeth | Photo Editor
Photo courtesy of Ryan Bough