Stalls and pens at the Boulder County Fairgrounds filled quickly Wednesday as local ranchers evacuated animals threatened by wind-whip ped grass fires.
“Right now we have about 187 horses being stalled and probably another 25 to 30 head in pens. We are now at full capacity; that is about all we can handle for horses,” said manager Joe LaFollette.
He was saving space in a barn for another 120 or so llamas that were expected.
People in the area have offered to house animals that have to be turned away from the fairgrounds, LaFollette said.
Sombrero Ranch in Longmont began taking animals after the fairgrounds filled up.
“Everything went pretty smoothly. People showed up about 2:30. There was a fairly steady line of horse trailers coming in, people that showed up with 70 head or 80 head of horses,” LaFollette said.
Holly Harker, a teacher, brought a horse and a pony to the fairgrounds after flames started moving toward her home off 63rd Street, said her husband, Bob Harker.
“It was probably about 3 miles away. We had a significant amount of smoke. We were just being cautious,” Bob Harker said.
Longmont resident Nan deGrove, an astrologer, was typing up an astrology newsletter when she got a call telling her that fire threatened Joder Arabian Ranch, where her 11-year-old horse, Mystic, is boarded.
Sombrero Ranch personnel brought trailers to Joder and helped evacuate the horses, she said.
But when the fire got too close, she said, some of the animals had to be turned loose. “The horses, we hope and we pray, will find their way to safety. Their survival instinct is very strong.”
The Joder horses, including Mystic, were brought to the fairgrounds.
“Horses in such a situation are very excited and panicked. It was a chaotic atmosphere,” deGrove said.
But personnel at the fairgrounds were well-equipped to handle the situation, she said. “It was a horrendous day.”
The Longmont Humane Society shelter took in smaller animals.
By 7 p.m. the shelter had received eight cats, five dogs and one pot-bellied pig, said Michael Helmstetter, the Humane Society director of operations.
“In most cases, they have been owners who are evacuees who have their pets with them,” Helmstetter said.
“They can come back tomorrow and pick up their animals and go home.”
