When fire spread over the hills of Calabasas on June 4, it forced Mill Creek Equestrian Center to evacuate 70 horses in just four hours. “It (the fire) was pretty close to us,” said Candace Correa, co-manager of the facility. “Luckily, the winds were in our favor, but if the winds had changed, we would have been hit by the fire.” Fortunately, the business had an emergency plan. It had experienced nearby fires previously, but this was its first evacuation. At around 5:45 p.m. that day, the L.A. County Sherriff’s Department came to Mill Creek in Topanga to announce a mandatory evacuation. Immediately the staff organized haulers, horse owners and Mill Creek students who volunteered to transport the animals down the mountain to Pierce College Equestrian Center in Woodland Hills. The college has an agreement with the county to serve as the West Valley’s large-animal evacuation center. Volunteers from the L.A. County Department of Animal Control offloaded the horses safely, filled out their paperwork and assigned each horse a stall. Mill Creek did not pay for the evacuation, as the haulers were volunteers and boarding was provided by the college. Supplies like bedding and feed were either donated or provided by the county’s emergency evacuation team. Nevertheless, the company is making a donation to both the haulers and Pierce College in appreciation. “We had a final count of 89 horses on Saturday,” said Tom Webb, a volunteer instructional assistant for Pierce’s Equestrian Center as well as a volunteer for the county’s Animal Control Department. “We also had four goats, three sheep, 24 chickens and a pig.” All horses were evacuated safely and returned Monday, June 6, when most of the fire was contained. The emergency had minimal effect on the business, Correa said. Mill Creek had to cancel a horse show that was scheduled for June 5, but the company will reschedule it after the end of Mill Creek’s summer camp program, which is currently taking place. Mill Creek offers horse boarding starting at $640 a month. Open six days a week, it has about 400 students, mostly children and teenagers, with lessons costing between $60 and $90. While favorable winds kept flames from the Mill Creek property, the company has standard operating procedures to minimize fire damage. For example, fire hoses are located throughout the property in ready position, tarps are placed over flammable materials and the property is constantly watered down to keep the ground moist. In addition, the facility has liability and fire insurance. After the smoke cleared, L.A. County Animal Control had suggestions for Mill Creek, which the company plans to implement in the near future. The company will incorporate a clinic on-site where horses can get microchips for tracking purposes as well as create a one-page emergency information sheet for each horse. – Stephanie Henkel
