Furry Friends And Families Reunited After Coastal Fire In Laguna Niguel

MISSION VIEJO, CA — While a wind-driven brushfire dubbed the Coastal Fire forced Coronado Pointe residents from their homes Wednesday afternoon, officers with the Mission Viejo Animal Services Center ventured into at-risk homes in the Laguna Niguel community to rescue animals trapped inside of homes.

"We responded to calls from residents wanting assistance with pets left behind," Animal Services Manager Michelle-Claud Clemente. "We rescued roughly ten pets."

The blaze, dubbed the Coastal Fire, scorched more than 200 acres of south Orange County after it erupted Wednesday afternoon. The flames reached the upscale Laguna Niguel neighborhood Wednesday, prompting widespread evacuations and burning down roughly twenty houses.

RELATED: Coastal Fire: 20+ Homes Burned, Blackouts For 100+ In Laguna Niguel

The center rescued seven cats, four dogs, four chickens and one conure parrot.

All the animals were reunited with their owners except for the chickens, Clemente told Patch.

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