KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies helped rescue a fleeing tortoise that escaped by fleeing fast-moving flames with a high-speed flight over the weekend — well, everything except the high-speed part.
Sponsored Articles
Wendy Collins, a Lost Canyon area resident, was working Saturday when she saw the news every homeowner dreads: The fire was approaching her home, and she needed to evacuate.
“She was not at home when the evacuation went in effect for her Sand Canyon neighborhood,” said Sheriff’s Station PIO Shirley Miller. And by the time Collins was off work, it wasn’t safe for her to drive home.
Panicked for her family pet, Collins contacted Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials about her home.
Deputies coordinated a response with the Department of Animal Care and Control, Miller said, and deputies found Pebbles, a 75-pound tortoise, scurrying across the road away from flames when they arrived at Collins’ home.
The homes across the street from Pebbles’ yard sw flames reach the edge of the property, but luckily the Collins’ home survived, according to officials.
Deputies worked with Animal Care and Control and brought the tortoise to the Castaic Animal Shelter, where Wendy Collins was able to re-unite with her tortoise Saturday night.
looked like the Sheriff was a bit afraid of that tortoise there at the end. LOL
Hi Perry…please allow me to make a few corrections… We do not live on Lost Canon although my State Farm Insurance office is on Lost Canyon Road. My husband called me alerting me to get home immediately to help load up our pets. I could not get within 2 miles of my home because of the spectator traffic going into Sand Canyon. My husband HAD to leave and could not load Pebbles into the car. I frantically relayed my dilemma to Shawn Rose who spoke to Bonnie Shierts, one of the admins for the Hazards Warnings & Emergencies F.B. Group. Bonnie immediately got in contact with Shirley Miller who coordinated the rescue at my home with LASD and Animal Control. Pebbles was stil secured in my backyard when deputies arrived, he was NOT “scurrying across the road away from the flames”. I don’t know where the “fleeing tortoise” story originated but our tortiose was still locked behind the gates in our backyard. We picked him up at Cataic an hour after deputies and animal control were able to evacuate him. We are grateful to Shawn Rose, Bonnie Shierts, Shirley Miller , the LASD Deputiesv and LA County Animal Control Officers who participated in our rescue.