East County animal sanctuary prepares for high winds and red flag conditions

ALPINE, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) -- The animal sanctuary Lions Tiger & Bears is preparing for the possibility of wild fires as the winds are expected to bring gusts of up to 70 miles per hour.

“We’ve evacuated a few times,” said Bobbi Brink, the founder of the animal sanctuary.

There are more than 60 animals to protect, and in the event of a fire, the animals under their care are not easy to move.

FOX 5/KUSI asked Brink what the protocol is for the exotic, but dangerous, animals.

“The first thing is getting them into their safety lockdowns. We call it 'recall,' and they are all trained to go to their safety lockdowns,” Brink said.

The lockdown shelters are isolated from trees and brush to keep the animals away from fire, but that’s not the only danger.

“Our actual biggest fire risk here is smoke,” Brink said.

The larger animals are expected to be able to handle the smoke, but domestic animals like horses, donkeys, emus, turtles and house cats would need to be evacuated.

"Every single animal has their transport crate ready to go," said Brink. "We spend a whole year preparing for fires....water truck, water wagons, fire hoses, fire equipment."

Lions Tigers & Bears spends most of the year trimming down trees and clearing brush. For high wind events, Brink is staging their fire protecting equipment and water trucks, hoping they are not needed.

People who would like to help can visit lionstigersandbears.org for more information.

All of the sanctuary's efforts are funded by donations, Brink said.