The blaze in Herriman that has closed seven schools, destroyed four homes and displaced several families has left a number of retirees homeless as well: the retired farm animals housed at the Ching Farm Rescue and Sanctuary.---

Most of the animals are safe, but needed to be transported to safer areas--a costly, time consuming and stressful endeavor, no doubt. I got this note from a Ching farm volunteer this morning:

[Sunday] night, nearly all of the couple hundred animals at the sanctuary were evacuated to safe places. Volunteers stayed the night at the sanctuary to care for the few animals who would not survive transportation, and hosed down the area surrounding the farm for the worst-case scenario.

The fire looks better this morning, as the winds shifted and are now heading away from the sanctuary. However, costs are still quickly adding up (transportation, veterinary care, temporary housing, etc.), not to mention smoke damage that has not been assessed yet. While we do not need any more volunteers at this time, we are seeking financial contributions. Donations can be sent via PayPal on their website: http://chingsanctuary.org/donate.php.

This 10,000-acre fire is known as the Machine Gun Fire. It was started by nearby National Guardsmen training at Camp Williams.

All photos below were taken and submitted by Ching farm volunteers.

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