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Video shows officers frantically saving shelter animals as wildfire closes in

Posted at 9:48 PM, Aug 13, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-13 21:48:37-04

SOLANO COUNTY, Calif. – Sixty cats and dogs are back safe in their kennels at the Solano County SPCA, days after the Nelson Fire in Northern California forced them out.

As the fire barreled toward the shelter on Friday, Vacaville Police Officer Carly Stone ran inside.

"We probably started frantically collecting cats and dogs and in about eight or 10 minutes the flames got too close and we knew we had to leave. We were forced to leave," Stone said.

Body camera video released by the Vacaville Police Department shows the mad dash to get the animals to safety.

Dozens of animals were taken away, one by one.

"We just did what we would hope anybody else would do for our own pets," Stone told KTXL.

But as flames crept toward the shelter, the animals needed another place to stay. Neighbors Kaitlin Oag stepped in to help.

"They just handed us a crate. We didn’t know who was in there," Oag said. "And it was Sage and Marcel and we just fell in love with them."

Oag ended up adopting the two dogs.

The shelter was not damaged, but thousands of dollars worth of food and medication were lost when the power went out.