60 Dogs Rescued From RivCo House Fire, Now Up For Adoption

SAN JACINTO, CA — Over 60 dogs rescued from a house fire in eastern Hemet on Thursday are available for adoption, the Riverside County Department of Animal Services reported. Adoption fees have been dropped as the department seeks help from animal lovers to clear the overcapacity shelters.

The home caught fire around 1 p.m. in the 43100 block of Merriwood Drive for as yet unknown reasons.

"During the incident, firefighters were able to rescue numerous cats and dogs from inside the structure," Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Capt. John Clingingsmith told Patch. The blaze displaced one resident who required Red Cross assistance, and all 60 dogs on the property were ultimately transported by field services workers to the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus. Now, they await their forever homes.

According to animal services, the 60 additional adoptable dogs, many of them Chihuahuas, were added because the county shelters are operating at overcapacity. The San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus is now at 300% overcapacity with these new additions, they said.

Lesley Huennekens, the Animal Services Field Commander, spoke about the large number of rescued dogs and what this means for the county's overworked shelters.

“This type of large-scale rescue requires all of our teams to jump into action, and now we need the public’s help to give these dogs a home,” Huennekens said. “We know other dogs will need a safe spot to land today and tomorrow, and we’re here to help both people and pets by serving as a safety net during an emergency or crisis.”

There are currently over 1,000 dogs across the shelter system and an urgent need for public support to clear kennel space immediately through foster, adoption and rescue.

Through March, all adoption fees are waived at all shelter locations and include spay/neuter surgery, microchip, vaccinations and an engraved ID tag.

More dogs continue entering the shelter system than are leaving through adoption, return-to-owner, or rescue.

In January of this year, 1,694 dogs entered the shelter system while 1,237 left through adoption, return-to-owner or transfer out.

No appointments are required to adopt or foster, and the public is encouraged to visit the shelters so staff can answer questions and assist in person. Please share this urgent request and visit www.rcdas.org for more information.

During the house fire, there was no record of Riverside County Sheriff's Department deputies at the scene, and it was unknown as of this report whether any citations were issued to the homeowner.

According to the Riverside County Planning Department, in East Hemet, you are generally allowed between 1 and 4 dogs without a kennel permit, and up to 25 with a class II kennel permit. It was not known if the homeowner had a valid kennel permit.

This report will be updated as more details on how the dogs were rescued are released.

Related:

Firefighters Battle RivCo House Fire, Several People Evacuated