Veterinarian helps shelter dozens of animals amid devastating California wildfires

Around 10,000 structures have been destroyed and at least 10 people have died in the Los Angeles-area wildfires as they continue to ravage southern California.

The fires have left apocalyptic scenes as people evacuate with their pets and little-to-none of their possessions.

Dr. Annie Harvilicz runs two animal facilities in the L.A. area, and at one point had taken in more than 40 animals.

Harvilicz said she is receiving hundreds of emails each day from people who have or are evacuating. She wants people to know they can evacuate with their pets.

“I basically took this abandoned veterinary hospital and opened it up thinking that I was going to be inundated with animals,” she said in an interview with “CBS Mornings.” “Really, what’s going on is, people are contacting me, thinking they’re going to have to put their animal with us, but I tell them, ‘No go ahead and go to the hotel you’re going to or the Airbnb or the shelter because they’re all accepting animals now.”

The majority of the animals that ended up staying at her facilities were families who had multiple pets.

“For example, we had a woman here who had eight cats, and it is hard to find a shelter opportunity when you have eight cats,” Harvilicz. “We’re also helping a lot of smaller rescues, the larger rescues who have to evacuate their facilities.”

Of the 41 animals she had at one point, all but two of them are no longer staying at her facilities. She explained in some cases evacuations have been lifted and in others they’ve found fosters.”

“So many people have been reaching out,” she said. “It’s such an amazing story. How many volunteers we have, how many people have reached out and said, ‘I can foster, I can take dogs and cats.'”

As the fires continue to spread and devastate communities around the L.A. area, Harvilicz wants to remind people to be prepared.

“Sit down and make a list of what they want to take,” she said.