Editor’s note: This story was updated at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Five separate wildfires in the Los Angeles area—including two that have rapidly grown to destroy more than 25,000 acres—prompted the mandatory evacuation of what CNN estimates to be more than 150,000 residents. Fueled by a combination of extremely dry conditions and sustained Santa Ana winds gusting as high as 80 mph, the fires have now consumed more than 26,000 acres, destroyed more than 1,000 homes, and killed at least five people. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Fire Incidents Page, firefighters have not yet been able to start containing four of them; the Lidia fire is 30% contained. While emergency response efforts are focused on evacuating residents, equestrians locally and nationally have mobilized to help horse owners affected by the blazes.

The Palisades fire, the largest of the five, began around 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday. By 3 p.m. PT Wednesday, the fire had consumed more than 15,000 acres, with the Eaton fire close behind at nearly 11,000 acres. 

Equestrians throughout the region are assisting in evacuating both private and public boarding facilities impacted by the fires. Online sources report that the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank was still accepting evacuees as of midday, and was adding additional temporary stabling to increase its capacity. The facility is located approximately 12 miles west of the Woodley fire, reported at 6:15 a.m. today, which has burned 30 acres in the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area. Current reports indicate there are no plans to evacuate the LAEC due to this fire, though the situation is being monitored.

The Eaton fire is near the historic Flintridge Riding Club in La Cañada Flintridge, and the non-profit Rose Bowl Riders. Peggy Klump, a dressage trainer based at Flintridge, was able to safely evacuate her eight horses to Paddock Riding Club in Glendale. She said that all 151 horses stabled at Flintridge have been moved to safety; she was not certain of the status of horses at Rose Bowl Riders, but knows at least 20 have been evacuated. Many boarders and clients of the trainers based at Flintridge were unable to get there to assist due to mandatory evacuation orders in the area. 

“Horse people take care of each other,” said Klump, who reported that piles of wind-driven debris are up to 4 feet high along highway barricades. “Everybody drops what they are doing and tries to help out.”

Klump said there are “thousands” of horses kept in the area impacted by the Palisades fire. Combined with the number of animals threatened by the Eaton fire, many local options for shelter were already full.

“Trying to find locations to put horses required a lot of phone calls,” she said. “A lot of trainers were evacuating to Los Angeles Equestrian Center, but my understanding was that it was full. We even asked Santa Anita [Park], because they have taken in horses before, but they had no space.

“The wind was blowing, the sand is in your eyes, and you can’t see anything,” she said of conditions while they were trying to load. “I have a 45-minute drive from my home to Flintridge, and for at least two-thirds of my drive, the hills were bright red, and the smoke was blowing like crazy. Even now, the smoke is so thick, it’s like driving through a heavy fog. The sky is a blue-gray, and you can’t see the sun at all. The fire is dangerous, but the smoke is deadly.”

Two evacuation shelters for large animals—one at the Los Angeles Pierce College Equestrian Center in Woodland Hills, which can house 200 animals, and another the Hansen Dam Horse Park in Lakeview Terrace, which has a capacity of 350 horse show stalls—are both full. Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control reports that space remains available at the Pomona Fairgrounds in Pomona (for horses only), the Castaic Animal Care Center in Castaic, the Lancaster Animal Care Center in Lancaster, and the Industry Hill Expo Center in City of Industry, which has a 200-horse capacity. Facilities farther away, including the Paso Robles Horse Park, have opened their doors to evacuees. Many private owners are also offering the use of corrals, round pens and other short-term shelters to those in need. Los Angeles Animal Services has also coordinated evacuation centers accepting both large and small animals.

“[W]e stand ready to deploy our USEF Disaster Relief Fund and will be accepting donations to get to those in need,” U.S. Equestrian Federation spokeswoman Vicki Lowell said Wednesday.

Fleet of Angels, a non-profit equine safety net organization, also is fundraising to cover the costs of supplying hay to three of the shelters accepting horses from the impacted areas, according to the organization’s West Coast Equine Emergency and Disaster Response Facebook page. They will also be issuing “micro-grants” to affected individuals in need of emergency assistance. 

Despite many offers of shelter and for trailering assistance—including from the Compton Cowboys—blocked roads, intense winds, and rapidly changing conditions are hampering efforts. Equestrians on social media have shared that some horse owners are simply leading horses to the nearest roadway, hoping to be picked up by a passing trailer. A video shared by Fox News 11 Los Angeles showed local equestrians evacuating horses on foot.