Rescuing Horses from Naples Wildfires

HELLO, I'M JENNIFER CRAWFORD. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. A WILDFIRE HAS FORCED THE EVACUATION ABOUT 150 HOMES AND DOZENS OF HORSES IN COLLIER COUNTY. THE 1500 ACRE BLAZE BEGAN MONDAY IN THE PICAYUNE STRAND STATE FOREST. FIRE CREWS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTAIN ABOUT 15% OF THE FIRE. FLAMES CAN BE SEEN FROM. I-75 JUST SOUTH OF ALLIGATOR ALLEY. THE COLLIER COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE HAS ISSUED URGENT EVACUATION ORDERS FOR AT LEAST 150 HOMEOWNERS. MULTIPLE RANCHES ARE ALSO LOCATED IN THE AREA LEADING TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS RUSHING IN TO HELP EVACUATE DOZENS OF HORSE US. >> A PERSON WHO WENT THROUGH THIS JUST LAST NIGHT AS CHRISTIAN PETERSEN. >> KRISTIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US FROM YOUR HOME IN GOLDEN GATE ESTATE. HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY? >> I AM DOING ALRIGHT. THEY GOT A LITTLE BIT OF SLEEP LAST NIGHT JUST A >> FIGURING OUT THE REST OF THE DAY. SO YOU HAD TO EVACUATE. >> IT SOUNDS LIKE 7 HORSES OVERNIGHT. TELL US WHAT HAPPENED. >> SO THERE WERE 7 HORSES AT THE ONE PARTICULAR PHARMA BELLMEAD. AND THAT IS WHERE MY NUMBER ONE CONCERN WAS. MY TRAINERS, THEY'RE MY FRIENDS. ARE THERE MY HORSES THAT MY NOT MY PRISONERS, BUT OF COURSE, I WAS WORKING WITH US THERE. HOWEVER, THERE'S A LOT OF FARMS BACK IN THE PICAYUNE AND I'M FRIENDS WITH ALL OF THEM. SO WE ENDED UP HAVING. I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW MANY FARMS THAT HAD TO EVACUATE AND HOW MANY HORSES THAT HAD TO EVACUATE. I COULDN'T GIVE YOU A NUMBER. BUT THERE WAS A LOT. IT WAS A LOT OF HORSES IN THE IT TO GET OUT 7 IN PARTICULAR FROM BELLMEAD. AND WE GOT ALL OF THOSE 7. AND THEN WE WENT BACK IN AND JUST. WHAT EVERYBODY'S FARM AND WHOEVER NEEDED HORSES PICKED UP. JUMPED OUT OF A TRUCK THAT WAS HANDED HORSES AND LOADED HIM UP. >> WHEN WERE YOU FIRST ALERTED THAT YOU NEEDED TO EVACUATE THE HORSES? >> SO WE STARTED NOTICING AROUND 11, 30 IN THE MORNING. WE WERE OUT OF THE FARM AND WE WERE NOTICING THAT THERE WERE FIRE TRUCKS COMING BY AND WE SAW THAT 3 BULLDOZERS COME BY. AROUND 11, 30 NOON. AND THEN I ROAD AND AFTER THAT AROUND 1 O'CLOCK, WE STARTED SEEING HELICOPTERS COME IN. SO WE GAVE A CALL TO OUR FRIENDS. MICHELLE, THE OWNS RESTING DAISY RANCH AND ASKED HER IF SHE'S ALWAYS GOT GOOD CONNECTIONS WITH 4 STREAM JUST WELL. THAT'S GOING ON. OBVIOUSLY SHE SAW THAT THERE WAS A FIRE. I SAW HER TRAILER PULLED BY AND SHE TOLD US AT THAT POINT IN TIME IT WAS ONLY 20 ACRES AND THAT EVERYTHING WAS OK RIGHT NOW, EVERYBODY IS GOING TO STAY PUT SO I LEFT FOR MY DAY AND AT ABOUT FOUR-THIRTY, I GOT A TEXT FROM MY TRAINER SAYING WE NEED HELP. WE HAVE TO GO. THAT'S WHAT YOU DO. >> SO I CAN'T IMAGINE TRYING TO EVACUATE COURSES THAT CANNOT BE EASY. HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THIS WITH A SENSE WHAT WAS GOING ON? IT? >> WE HAVE 100% SENSE. WHAT'S GOING ON? I HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WITH HORSES AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS IS THAT LIKE YOU CAN'T INVOLVE YOURSELF WITH THERE. NEAR OSAZE. SO I JUST HAD TO. TURN ALL THAT OFF AND AND THEY DON'T HAVE A CHANCE TO SAY NO, THEY CAN'T SAY NO. THEY NEED TO GET ON THE TRAILER. I I HAVE TRAINING AND GETTING MORE SAYS ON TRAILERS AND GETTING DIFFICULT VERSUS ON TRAILERS. AND I JUST RAN UP AND GRABBED HORSES. DON'T GIVE THEM TIME TO SAY NO. >> HOW MANY DID YOU HELP EVACUATE? IT SOUNDS LIKE AT LEAST A DOZEN. PROBABLY. YEAH. >> YEAH. WE GOT DOWN THERE. WE HAD A THREE-HORSE TRAILER GOING AND I JUST GRAB HORSES THAT I SAW. PEOPLE ARE HAVING DIFFICULTY LOADING. I KNOW WHO SOME OF THE OLDER LADIES WERE. I KNOW SOME OF THE HORSES WERE. AND ONE 4TH IN PARTICULAR. HE PULLED OUT AND GAVE THIS POOR LADY A ROSE BYRNE AND I JUST GRABBED HIM IN. LOADED HIM UP ON THE TRAILER. AND THEN ANOTHER LADY WALKED OUT AND SHE SAID, I NEED HELP. I NEED HELP. AND I RAN OUT AND GRABBED HERS. AND I JUST LOADED THE HORSE UP. AND JUST KEPT KEPT MOVING >> WHAT WAS THE MOOD LIKE? WERE PEOPLE A BIT? FRANTIC ARE CALM. >> IT WAS FRANTIC. IT WAS FRANTIC. THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE, THOUGH. I MEAN, YOU COULDN'T GET. YOU COULD GET IN. BUT I MEAN, THERE WERE HORSE TRAILERS EVERYWHERE, WHICH IS JUST THE COMMUNITY REALLY, REALLY PULLS TOGETHER IN TIMES LIKE THIS. AND IT WAS. IT WAS CHAOTIC. IT WAS CRAZY. BUT EVERYBODY WAS THERE. ALL HANDS WERE ON DECK. YOU KNOW, YOU JUST CALL. WE'VE GOT A TRAILER, A CUP, FACEBOOK POST AND EVERYBODY JUST PULLED TOGETHER AND GOT EVERYBODY SAFE. ALL THE HORSES WERE OUT BY. I WANT TO SAY WE GOT HOME AT 8.30, LAST NIGHT, BUT I WOULD SAY ALL THE HORSES WERE OUT BY LIKE 7 AND CONFIRMED IT WHEN EVERYBODY WOULD DRIVE TO ONE FARM AT THAT FARM WAS EMPTIED, GO TO THE NEXT FARM AND JUST CALL HIM PEOPLE STOPPING BY. THE HOUSE IS MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY WAS SAFE. >> IT SOUNDS LIKE A PRETTY TIGHT-KNIT AND VERY SPECIAL COMMUNITY. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU TO BE PART OF THIS? I WOULD PREFER TO NOT BE PART OF THE FIRE. >> HOWEVER, IT JUST REALLY SHOWS ME HOW BUT OUR COMMUNITY, THE WORST COMMUNITY COME CAN COME WITH A STIGMA THAT CAN COME WITH. YOU KNOW, THERE'S PEOPLE THINK THERE'S A LOT OF MONEY AND HORSES IN THIS AND THAT. BUT REALLY THE COMMUNITY AROUND HERE AND IN THE ESTATES, IN THE PICAYUNE IN ALL OF THESE FARMS, WE ALL KNOW EACH OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN HERE. BUT IN THE COMMUNITY FOR 10, 15, 20 YEARS. THAT I'VE BEEN IN IT FOR ABOUT 15, ALMOST 20, WE ALL KNOW EACH OTHER AND WE ALL HAVE EACH OTHER'S BACK. I MEAN, AT ANY POINT IN TIME, ESPECIALLY OF FIRE, EVERYBODY'S TRAILERS ARE HOOKED UP. EVERYBODY'S READY TO GO AND AND NOBODY LOOKS BACK YOU KNOW, I'M I'M A WOMAN AND MY BOYFRIEND WAS NOT HAPPY ABOUT THE FACT THAT I SAID I'M GOING TO GET MY SON AND I'M GOING TO A FIRE. BUT THAT'S JUST WHAT WHAT WE ALL DID. WE KNOW IT. SO YOU HAVE TO DO. EVERY WORD SAYS ARE INVALUABLE AND OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER IN VALUABLE. AND THERE'S IT'S JUST ABSOLUTELY PRICELESS. THAT. TRUST AND LOVE THAT WE ALL HAVE FOR EACH OTHER. >> WELL, THANK GOODNESS THAT THEY WERE ALL EVACUATED AND THAT ALL OF YOU ARE SAFE AND CERTAINLY WISH YOU WELL TO THIS NEXT FEW DAYS AS WE TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE WITH A FIRE IN OBVIOUSLY MAKING SURE EVERYBODY'S SAFE AND THE HORSES AS WELL. THANKS AT JOINING US. >> YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU.