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Rancher gets emotional after losing horses and baby goats in California wildfire

By KTVU staff
Updated  August 21, 2020 1:16pm PDT
Wildfires
KTVU FOX 2

Rancher gets emotional looking for animals during wildfire

Christa Patrillo Haefner gets emotional while searching for her animals on her Solano County ranch. Via Storyful

VACAVILLE, Calif. - A dog trainer and rancher from Solano County who said she has lived through 14 fires lost dozens of horses and baby goats in the LNU Lightning Complex Fire, one of the largest wildfires burning in California.

Christa Patrillo Haefner posted an emotional video of her looking for her animals and told Good Day Sacramento that many of her beloved animals died in the blaze this week.

"Oh no. Oh no," she is heard saying in her Facebook video, as she breathes heavily and sniffles, searching her properly for any signs of life. 

“There’s been a lot of tears. Still a lot of tears,” she told the news outlet. 

Some of her animals survived, though.

A few horses were safe at a friend's house, and some goat and pigs somehow survived. 

Aside from animals, Patrillo Haefner also lost many tangible items, too. She said her personal items she kept in a business in a storage container melted in the blaze. 

"We were just starting to recover from a house fire where we lost all of our personal belongings in 2018," Patrillo Haefner told Good Day Sacramento. "Now we lost everything again." 

Volunteers rescue birds from fires

Marcy Berman of Marin County rescued ducks, geese and other birds from the fires in Felton and was on her way to an animal sanctuary in Petaluma. She is one of many animal rescue volunteers. Video courtesy of Tanya Schevitz.