spectrum news LA fires MHS

Lisa Labrecque said she is getting “flashbacks” of her experiences with the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires on Maui as she watches the news about the Los Angeles fires. In California, the fires have been burning in multiple spots for four days, destroying more than 10,000 structures and killing at least 10 people.

Labrecque is the head veterinarian and CEO of the Maui Humane Society, which rescued 900 animals in the months after the Maui wildfires.

“It’s devastating,” said Labrecque about the fires in California. “Seeing some of the images of the neighborhoods, and rows and rows of houses burned, gives me flashbacks to Lahaina and having experienced that tragedy here just a year-and-a-half ago.”

She said her and her team have post-traumatic stress disorder from their experiences with the Maui fires and the aftermath. “The stress at work right now is a lot higher than it’s been, and we’re really having to check in with people, and provide extra support right now.”

Reflecting

The Maui Humane Society rescued pets from the Lahaina burn zone from August 2023 to March 2024. Because of this experience, Labrecque knows that California’s animal shelters are just at the beginning of a long road to recovery.

After the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires, in order to prepare to take in lost and injured animals, the Maui Humane Society moved about 300 animals from their shelter either into foster homes or to animal shelters in California, Oregon and Washington. The Pasadena Humane Society is taking similar actions now, moving animals from their shelter to other shelters in California, to make room to take in the hundreds, or maybe thousands, of animals who will need care.

But Labrecque says that’s just the first step. She also recalled helping injured animals and reassuring distraught owners searching for their pets.

More than a year after the Maui fires, the recovery continues. The Maui Humane Society still takes in pets that wildfire survivors surrender as they struggle to secure pet-friendly housing.

Labrecque also said the California fires will impact the Maui Humane Society, as shelters on the U.S. continent that are their “transfer partners,” which means they take in animals from Maui, will now be taking animals from LA’s shelters and won’t have free space as a result.

One major difference between the fires in California and Maui is the scale of the disaster, said Labrecque. Maui’s four fires on Aug. 8, 2023, scorched nearly 7,000 acres. California’s many fires have already destroyed nearly 36,000 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and they continue to burn.

“So the number of animals that are going to be displaced, both owned pets, livestock, horses and wildlife, is going to be immense,” said Labrecque.

Helping

Labrecque said they are doing everything they can to help animal shelters in California, as they know all too well what they are going through. Maui Humane Society’s Wildfire Community Liaison Johnny Lingao is coordinating the shipment of about 1,000 pop-up pet kennels to two animal shelters in California: Pasadena Humane Society and Los Angeles County Animal Care.

After the Maui fires, Maui Humane Society needed pop-up kennels and people responded by donating thousands of them, which was wonderful. However, Maui Humane Society’s needs quickly evolved, and they did not use all the donated kennels, which will now be sent to California.

“I would caution anyone that wants to help to be careful about what they send, because needs can change from day to day,” said Labrecque. “Sometimes the best way to help is to donate (money), because money can be used for anything.”

For people who are in the Los Angeles area, Labrecque encouraged them to volunteer and, if possible, to foster and adopt animals.

Read the full article here.