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B U T T E F I R E | S E P T E M B E R 9 | 2 0 1
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from Jon Baldwin
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When the volunteers of the Amador County Animal Response Team looked up from their training exercise the evening of September 9 last year and saw billows of smoke rising over the ridge behind the American Legion Ambulance headquarters, they knew immediately this was not going to be a routine training meeting. They were witnessing the initial blowup of the Butte Fire.
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Before the evening was over, two volunteers, Kathy Vicini and Carol Scarrone, had the ACART supply trailer positioned at the County Fairgrounds and were completing setup just as the first evacuated animals rolled in. Before the event was over, 13 days later, they and many other volunteers had put in over 2,000 hours providing shelter and care for more than 450 displaced pets, horses and livestock. At the end, in spite of the initial disorder that accompanies disaster, all but one of the animals were returned safe and sound to their owners. There were even three baby goats born while at the fairgrounds shelter.
ACART, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization, has been in existence since 2009 and was formed by a group of Amador County residents who saw a need to provide care for pets and other animals displaced by fires and other emergency events. Red Cross shelters admit only service animals, so families are often hesitant to evacuate if it means leaving their non-human members in harm's way.
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