Emotional reunions for owners and their pets following the Fairview Fire

As people continue to head back to their homes after evacuating because of the Fairview Fire, for some people this meant reuniting with their animals.

Tears of joy filled the walls of the Riverside County Animal Shelter in San Jacinto the last few days as owners met with their pets again.

As the Fairview Fire raged on and people were forced to flee to safety, many couldn't take their pets with them to temporary housing. In some cases, owners had to leave their animals behind in their homes for their own safety.

Riverside County Animal Services (RCAS) stepped up to the plate to help these people out. It took in 293 different animals varying from horses, geese, a snake, pigs, goats, cats, and dogs, among other animals.

RCAS temporarily reopened its San Jacinto location, which was closed years ago, so it can help. People who evacuated their animals were able to leave them at the shelter where they received medical attention, were fed, and cared for at no charge.

Not only did RCAS help board the animals, but it also helped those families who couldn't evacuate their animals. It attended to dozens of animals still in the fire warning/evacuation zones by feeding them and making sure they were still safe from the fire.

As the Fairview Fire died down and people were allowed to head back home, many reunions took place at the shelter.

One woman picking up her cats described the moment to be emotional for her. Another woman was thankful, “I appreciate you guys had this for us because I don’t know what I would have done.”

As of Wednesday nearly all of the animals had been picked up from the shelter or transported back home.