in california dozens of horses perish in fires
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

In California, dozens of horses perish in fires

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today In California, dozens of horses perish in fires

Desert trees, which line the roads of the region, turned into torches
Bonsall - Arab Today

A line of charred stables running down blackened hills have become graveyards for dozens of horses caught in the raging flames of a southern California wildfire that burned them alive.

"It was hell," said a security employee at the San Luis Rey Training Center in Bonsall, an hour north of San Diego. It was "The worst night of my life."

The employee, who asked not to be identified by name, said that 75 percent of the stables burned at the center, where some 500 elite horses were stabled and trained.

"They're the most highly bred," and in "several barns here the cheapest horse is $250,000."

Seeing the blaze approaching at high speed, they decided to release the horses to give them a chance to escape.

As the air clogged with smoke the terrified horses neighed and galloped in circles, lost.

"I was kicked; trampled," the employee said of the rescue efforts, describing how the horses clamored to get back to their stables.

"It's their safety zone," he said. "We had to run them off but they saw the others get in, they're herd animals."

San Diego County, which includes Bonsall, is horse country, dotted with vast, opulent ranches in a landscape that evokes Tuscany with palm trees.

But these desert trees, which line the roads of the region, turned into torches overnight into Friday morning, as fire driven by winds gusting upwards of 80 miles (130 kilometers) per hour swallowed whole hills in minutes.

Thousands of firefighters are still battling six major wildfires in California that have destroyed hundreds of structures and devastated tens of thousands of acres of land.

- Raining ashes -

The blazes cap the worst year on record for fires in California.

Throughout the night the equestrian community banded together to save the horses, with owners and trainers rushing to take the animals to safety in trailers.

The San Luis Rey employee said volunteers were key: "Horse people are wonderful, they've given us everything we need."

The rescue efforts were a tough task, said Ross Fowler, a battalion chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

"It's hard when horses are scared then don't comply -- they are heavy; they can hurt you," Fowler said.

Rebecca Wilson, a 21-year-old trainer, stayed up late into the night to drive horses to safety.

"We saved at least 20 horses just with this truck," said Wilson.

"It was raining ashes," she said, adding it was necessary to go quickly through the smoke and darkness as fire trucks came and went.

"A two-year-old had never been in a truck, so it took a lot of patience," she said. "You cannot force a 1,000-pound animal into a trailer truck in traffic in the dark."

The whole night seems surreal," Wilson said. "It's heartbreaking to see the horses we've lost."

Source:AFP

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

in california dozens of horses perish in fires in california dozens of horses perish in fires

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

in california dozens of horses perish in fires in california dozens of horses perish in fires

 



GMT 13:42 2015 Saturday ,04 April

Libyan warplane targets camp in Gharyan town

GMT 15:14 2017 Wednesday ,01 March

UN documents nearly 1,500 child soldiers in Yemen

GMT 07:24 2017 Sunday ,01 October

Mexico unlikely to find more quake survivors

GMT 16:15 2015 Wednesday ,11 November

German intelligence 'spied' on Fabius, FBI, UN bodies

GMT 01:32 2017 Saturday ,15 April

Russia's Putin earns about 157,000 USD in 2016

GMT 16:30 2017 Saturday ,15 July

Minister of planning gives priority

GMT 19:45 2017 Wednesday ,05 April

President of Senegal Meets Attorney General

GMT 05:18 2017 Thursday ,21 September

Over 80 missing after migrant boat sinks off Libya

GMT 19:22 2017 Saturday ,01 April

UN: Number of Syrian Refugees Tops 5 million

GMT 15:16 2016 Thursday ,29 September

FBI to put up database on police use of deadly force

GMT 05:06 2016 Friday ,30 September

Indian markets open flat

GMT 01:57 2017 Tuesday ,10 October

Twin suicide bombs kill 13 near Mogadishu airport

GMT 02:25 2017 Friday ,08 September

UAE celebrates National Day at Expo 2017 Astana

GMT 06:19 2017 Sunday ,08 January

Bleaching poses the gravest threat to coral reefs

GMT 12:35 2017 Monday ,18 September

Elham Shahin happy for “Day for Women”

GMT 09:46 2017 Thursday ,22 June

US existing home sales unexpectedly rise in May

GMT 02:36 2017 Tuesday ,10 January

US embassy condemns Al-Arish suicide attack

GMT 10:34 2017 Sunday ,26 November

czar faces graft probe
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday