Fla. Wildfires Force Christian Camp to Evacuate Animals, Leave Pigs
Massive wildfires in Florida and Georgia are not only forcing hundreds of people to flee homes, but also animals to evacuate a Salvation Army Camp in Florida.
Camp Keystone, a 260-acre family camp in Central Florida, began evacuating animals and pets earlier this week when the fire line was less than a mile from the camp.
State animal wranglers and Salvation Army employees worked late into the night to evacuate all the camp's livestock that included 12 horses, a pet dog, and a cat.
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However, the camp caretaker Tony Bellis said that he was forced to leave behind the camp's resident pot belly pigs.
Bellis explained that although the pigs are part of the Camp Keystone family, they weigh 350 pounds each and were not transportable.
"The animals got very agitated," Bellis recalled, according to Salvation Army, "and wouldn't go on the ramp."
Bellis said that he left the animals with plenty of water and they are free to roam, noting that he things hey will be fine.
According to the Salvation Army's Northeast Florida incident commander Major Alan Phillips, the fires in the area are "aggressive and intense."
The two southern states of Florida and Georgia have been battling wildfires for weeks with nearly 300 square miles burned in total, according to The Associated Press.
Most of Florida's wildfires have been started by lightening.
