SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — As many plan ahead for the next wildfire, those who have and look after livestock like Leah Darling and Caitlin Owen told 12News just how important the animals are when starting the planning process.
“These guys are family, these guys are first. Whiskey loaded on great, took about 8 minutes,” Darling said.
She described the process to get five horses loaded up into trailers away from the Diamond Fire, to safety.
“Chester, with him, we had to do a little trial run and then he got on,” she explained.
People like Darling and Owen, who also lives near the Rio Verde Foothills, said they weren’t taking any chances.
“We watched it grow, it went from something really small to something real big, real fast,” Owen said.
She kept a close eye on the flames as they inched closer and closer to the “Almosta Ranch” near Rio Verde Drive and 160th Street. She said she was able to keep the more than two dozen horses calm.
“They can feel stressed and triggered, the smell isn’t normal so, it’s chaotic trying to turn that many horses out at once it just causes chaos,” she explained.
But standing by for 48 hours was more manageable with people like Jared Faraci willing to help with the horses.
“We have trucks and trailers ready, that’s the biggest thing you can do, everyone’s still hooked up, remain calm and if we have to leave we’ll leave,” he said.
Evacuations orders lifted just before 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, those who live in the area are thankful, the animals were spared. They’re all planning to be ready to go, for the next time a fire starts.
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