ALPINE, Calif. (KGTV) -- As firefighters work towards 100% containment in the Valley Fire, business owners are cleaning up the damage left behind by the flames.
Alpine Dog Ranch is a vacation ranch for dogs to say while their owners are away. When the Valley Fire started, the ranch's owner, Thomas MacKinnon, was taking care of nine dogs, including his own.
He quickly rushed to get them all into a van and tried to get out, but MacKinnon says they were trapped by flames. He and several neighbors took refuge in an open field until the flames passed. Firefighters and a 747 Supertanker saved all of the structures. No one was hurt.
The fire did burn a lot of the greenery on the ranch and now MacKinnon is cleaning up; repairing fencing, the sprinkler system and covering burned patches with woodchips.
MacKinnon says the fire was an added challenge on top of a difficult year. Like many businesses, the Alpine Dog Ranch has been struggling. With people not going on vacation and needing a place to leave their dogs, business has been slow.
MacKinnon's friends set up a Go Fund Me page to help with the ranch's repairs. If you'd like to donate click here.
