Animal lovers are taking to social media to reunite residents with the pets that were left behind in the wake of the Fort McMurray wildfire evacuation order.
"We’ve been working every hour, every minutes, just going hard with no sleep," Brandon Bryldt, a member of one group, “Fort Mac Fire – Pet Rescue,” told CTV News.
Frustrated and concerned animal owners have taken to both Twitter and Facebook posting home locations as well as photos of pets in an attempt to get them out of harm's way.
"My dogs are in BALL PLACE in Timberlea.!!! One Bichon frise 16 years old, health issues, male. One Bichon frise, 7 years, female. Please save my fur babies! Please and thank you for your help," Ashley Stovall wrote on a group's Facebook page.
Stovall's plea was echoed by hundreds of others looking for helping rescuing animals ranging from horses to lizards.
The Fort Mac Fire – Pet Rescue Facebook group has nearly 2,000 members, with many posting photos of their pets and pleading with rescuers to help them.
"Today, with the time we were allowed to be in town, which wasn’t very long, we got eight cats and six dogs,” Bryldt said.
"I have four on the way to their owners right now, and there will be more tomorrow."
Bryldt got involved after helping bring fuel to the firefighters battling the blaze on Wednesday night. After spending the night refuelling equipment and cooking food for the firefighters, he decided he would look to continue helping residents in a different way.
"We saw the website, and people needed their pets rescued," he said. "So I put my number up and I was getting call after call. My phone was charging and it was still dying -- that’s how many I was getting."
The rescues are coming in the wake of animal agencies have expressed frustration at their inability to help pets while an evacuation order is in place.
Police or firefighter escorts are needed to travel around the city and many neighbourhoods remain inaccessible.
"It's nonstop. We're more so just getting desperate pleas from people to go into Fort Mac and get their animals, which is not something we can do. I mean the police are on every corner stopping people from doing that," says Melissa Foley of Farm Animal Rescue & Rehoming Movement.
There are some logistical issues with this line of rescue. Many homeowners locked their doors, whether they were at work at the time or looking to protect their valuables, which means their pets are trapped inside.
There is also the issue of finding enough space to transport the animals found. Bryldt plans to return with an enclosed horse trailer and kennels to help transport more pets to safety.
Pet owners from Fort McMurray and the surrounding evacuated areas can call the SPCA at 780-743-8997. A Facebook page set up by Fort McMurray Fire Emergency Animal Assistance asks animal owners to fill out an online form which can be found here.
With files from the Canadian Press
