Evacuation shelter open 24 hours

LA CAÑADA — American Red Cross and Pasadena Humane Society officials were preparing for evacuees Friday at the La Cañada High School as the Station Fire continued to threaten La Cañada Flintridge below.

Few people took advantage of the shelter overnight Thursday amid voluntary evacuation orders, the volunteers remained vigilant and prepared Friday.

Five people had registered as of 3 p.m. Friday, “but there have been new mandatory evacuations so we’re expecting more people,” said Linday Mayer, public information officer for the Red Cross. “In the past, at shelters, they come around dinner time.”

The shelter on Oak Grove Drive will be open 24 hours a day until further notice, officials said. The shelter can accommodate up to 100 people.

“We’re here to facilitate evacuations and we’re keeping it open until the situation with the fire changes, or we need to house more individuals or something like that,” said Red Cross Shelter Manager Bernie Nazari.

Inside the high school’s gym were cots with blankets and pillows, tables and chairs and free coffee. Outside, in the school’s parking lot, the Pasadena SPCA had set up a mobile animal rescue station to handle any pets or animals.

“We’ve transferred a pony, five dogs and three alpacas,” said Pasadena SPCA Community Resources Assistant Hillary Gatlin. “There are a few dogs boarding [at the Pasadena center] right now and we can handle more.”

The Pasadena SPCA transferred the horse and alpacas to a local stable and told evacuees to take pets to the rescue station at La Cañada High.

The Clear Creek Outdoor Education Center in the Angeles National Forest was also evacuated and all animals were rescued safely, officials said. The Humane Society took in a bobcat, a red-tailed hawk, a one-winged California turkey vulture and 30 white doves.

La Cañada High is at 4463 Oak Grove Drive in La Cañada. The Pasadena SPCA is at 361 South Raymond in Pasadena.