Aviation Group Airlifts Dogs, Cats From Wildfire Region

Wings of Rescue transports animals surrendered before blazes began in Southern California in order to make room for those displaced during the emergency.

Monday, January 13, 2025 at 04:58 PM ET

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Rescue flights flew from Bob Hope Airport (KBUR) in Burbank, California, to KBFI by way of Portland-Troutdale Airport (KTTD) in Oregon. [Courtesy Ric Browde/Wings of Rescue]

Key Takeaways:

Volunteer pilots with Wings of Rescue are transporting shelter animals from Southern California to other states like Oregon and Washington to alleviate overcrowding and make space for pets displaced by ongoing wildfires.
This strategic relocation allows California shelters to focus on reuniting families with pets separated by the fires, as animals already in the system are moved to new opportunities for adoption.
Organizations like Wings of Rescue utilize their own aircraft and chartered planes for these missions, which also bring back essential supplies such as water, medicine, and food on their return flights.
The costly rescue operations, which include future flights to multiple other states, are supported by donations and the help of volunteer private pilots.

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Amid the ongoing wildfire emergency in Southern California, volunteer pilots helped clear shelters in the region to transport animals to opportunities for new forever homes in Oregon and Seattle over the weekend.

Wings of Rescue, in partnership with Paws for Life K9 Rescue, transported animals surrendered to five city shelters and seven county shelters in the Greater Los Angeles area before the onset of the wildfires in order to make room for pets who have been separated from their families during the fire and need temporary shelter.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.