A family in Calimesa was worried about their missing dog and cat as the Sandalwood Fire burned in the Riverside County neighborhood.
The 500-acre blaze scorched a mobile home community in the area prompting residents to flee their homes.
Bill and Melissa were alerted about a fire in their community and rushed home from work. Their neighborhood was already being evacuated when they returned. Melissa found an animal control official who had one of her dogs, Tucker.
“He’s a little bit of a runner, so when they kicked the door in, he just took off, so thank God somebody caught him,” Melissa said.
She was not sure what happened to her other dog, Tyson, and her cat, Joan.
Tyson is a 15-year-old miniature pincher who has trouble seeing and has other health problems.
She said she is not as concerned about her home as she is about her pets.
“If you see my little min-pin Tyson, call me, find me,” Melissa said. “He’s my world … I don’t want him to go this way.”