BEND, Ore. — Clare Staples, owner of a 9,000-acre horse sanctuary ranch in Bend, also owns three ranches in California. She told KTVZ it was a miracle she was in Malibu and was able to save her horses when the Woolsey Fire broke out.
Staples, who rescues horses that have been recovered from at-risk situations, said when she woke Friday morning in Malibu and looked out her window, she saw something she'd never seen in her life.
"it was like a bomb had just dropped. There was just so much smoke coming over the hill, it was just this plume up," she said.
Staples frantically rushed to her ranch to try and save her horses.
"We started just immediately putting horses in. We filled one trailer, we filled a second trailer," she told KTVZ.
As Staples was rounding up her horses, a sheriff told her she had to evacuate her property immediately. Two horses were left behind.
Staples said it was complete chaos as she drove down the Pacific Coast Highway, with people riding their horses on the beach and people running frantically from their homes.
Once Staples arrived at he ranch in Mariposa, California she dropped off her caravan of horses and then drove seven hours back to Malibu to rescue the remaining horses, hoping the entire drive they were still alive.
Staples was able to save those horses and other people's animals as well.
KTVZ is a KGW News partner.