Beamer, an elderly special-needs horse, has had a rough autumn.
The recent Silverado Fire came within a mile and a half of him. He was so anxious he didn’t eat for days, even when given grain mixed with apples and carrots.
It’s a different story today.
“Beamer just starting eating,” said Francee Jones, Beamer’s owner.
Jones has thanked the Los Alamitos Race Course about 1,000 times.
The Race Course housed and cared for 109 horses who were evacuated from their stables because of the Silverado and Blue Ridge fires that have eaten up about 26,000 acres in Irvine, Yorba Linda and other areas of Orange County and San Bernardino County. Three of the horses – Beamer, a 30-year-old Appaloosa gelding who is on medication; Leggs Diamond, a thoroughbred; and Anastasia, a quarter horse – are owned by Jones.
“Fortunately, we had enough room,” said Orlando Gutierrez, director of marketing and publicity at the Race Course. “They were able to settle in and stay together. We tried to make them as comfortable as possible in a stressful situation and one less thing for those owners who had to move to worry about.”
Workers ushered the horses to temporary barns in an area recently used for a horse sale. Bedding, hay and water were provided. Handlers worked around-the-clock to make sure the horses were OK. Several groups in the Los Al/Cypress area stepped up to assist, as well.
Ed Allred, owner of the Race Course, was still concerned. As fires darkened the sky with smoke, he prepared for 250 more horses to shelter, just in case.
The Race Course also took in a handful of smaller animals, including goats, who are cozy companions for horses.
“We just can’t thank Los Alamitos enough for their generosity, their kindness and their compassion,” said Jones. “The track was so giving — they gave us bales of shavings, whatever we needed. Their courtesy was just phenomenal.”
Jones, who lives in Modjeska Canyon northeast of Lake Forest, said she had little time to evacuate after the fires tore through OC canyons and Chino Hills starting on Oct. 26. When the blazes, powered by Santa Ana winds, bore down and more than 60,000 residents were told to make haste, Jones thought of Beamer, Leggs Diamond and Anastasia.
“They were panicked, and I was very, very worried,” she said. “If the wind changes, I’m in the soup.”
While more than 1,000 firefighters battled the fires, Orange County Animal Care, other organizations and neighbors shifted to high gear, as did the Los Alamitos Race Course. All were scrambling to form a communications network and deal with logistics.
Fast forward more than a week and the fires are about 95 percent contained, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. Two firefighters are in critical condition after suffering burns. Tens of thousands of people who fled were uninjured and are back in their homes.
The horses who stayed at the Race Course are safe and back home, as well. It’s not clear if any other horses or animals were lost or injured.
Six structures were destroyed and 19 damaged.
The cause of the fires has not been determined.
Residents from Orange County and beyond are thinking of and praying for the injured firefighters. Those locals who escaped unharmed are also counting their blessings.
“I am home, I am safe, amen,” said Jones.
Leggs Diamond and Anastasia are doing well, she added.
And Beamer?
“He’s running around and he’s going to be all right.”