In the wake of devastating wildfires that have ravaged the Los Angeles area, specially trained search and rescue dogs, many of them former shelter animals, are playing a critical role in locating victims in the fire-ravaged communities.
As the death toll from the Palisades and Eaton fires rises to at least 24, with more people still missing, K-9 units and cadaver dogs have been deployed to search through the charred remains of neighborhoods. These highly skilled canines are assisting emergency responders in the grim but necessary task of recovering victims.
"It is a very grim task. And unfortunately, every day we're doing this, we're running across the remains of individual community members," said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, highlighting the challenging conditions these service animals face.
The dogs are working tirelessly alongside human first responders, methodically searching grid by grid through the Altadena area and other impacted communities. To date, teams have inspected more than 1,800 structures in their search for victims.
These search efforts come as the Palisades Fire has become the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history, destroying over 1,100 structures across nearly 24,000 acres. The Eaton Fire has been equally devastating, burning through more than 14,000 acres and destroying upwards of 7,000 structures.
While the dogs focus on search operations, the Best Friends Animal Society has been working to evacuate shelter animals from the Los Angeles area to make room for pets displaced by the fires. Through an emergency partnership with Wings of Rescue, 84 shelter pets were flown to the organization's sanctuary in Utah.
"We are taking pets that were already in shelters that were up for adoption, to make room for animals that are displaced by the fire, which these shelters desperately needed that help," explained Holly Sizemore, chief mission officer for Best Friends Animal Society.
As dangerous Santa Ana winds threaten to intensify fire conditions this week, these dedicated canine teams remain on standby, ready to continue their vital search mission across Southern California's fire-ravaged communities.