State of emergency

On Sept. 22, fire swept through pastures in rural Yolo County, Calif., killing 800 sheep and injuring hundreds more, including horses. The Veterinary Emergency Response Team, composed of students, faculty and staff at University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine (UC-Davis), worked to evacuate and and treat the burned and injured animals.

"We started at 5 a.m. getting the evacuations going, shipping burned animals to the clinic," says Dr. John Madigan, UC-Davis professor and team leader. "Twelve square miles burned at 45 miles-per-hour; it was the largest and most rapid fire anyone around here has seen. These range animals had no chance. Many were alive and suffering. Twenty-three days later, we're still treating 200 injured sheep."