AUSTIN, Texas — A local nonprofit is asking for the community's help finding forever homes for dogs displaced due to the wildfire this week in Bastrop County.
Crews continue to battle the Hudson Fire just east of Bastrop. It has burned 400 acres and is 98% contained as of Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, the Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management said it has contained the fire within a perimeter and crews are working to make sure it does not grow beyond it.
As the Hudson Fire raged earlier this week, Bastrop Animal Care Services (ACS) put out an urgent call. With the shelter full, it needed to clear space.
"They were in urgent need to empty some space in order to help animals that were going to be displaced by the fire, whether those be strays or animals that were going to be displaced due to the evacuation zone," Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) Admissions Manager Patrick McCrae said.
McCrae and the team jumped in a van and headed towards Bastrop.
"Without a lot of time to act, we just kind of went right into action," McCrae said. "We started pulling animals out of their shelter to make up space so that they would have additional space to house those animals who would be displaced."
Between Monday and Tuesday, they rescued 38 animals, including 17 dogs and 21 cats.
McCrae said the initial round of animals were all healthy and in good condition.
BACS is the only animal shelter for communities like Cedar Creek, Elgin, Smithville and Bastrop. Some of the animals from Bastrop have already been adopted.
"The more animals that we can clear out of Bastrop and the more animals that we can clear out of our rescue here, the more work that we can do for Bastrop and in the other communities surrounding us," McCrae said.
McCrae said they are also looking to move the other dogs and cats in their care to long-term homes.
"The shelter environment is not the best environment for a pet to be long-term. We're always really concerned about the length of stay for an animal," McCrae said. "The shelter should be a short-term option for rescue purposes. Ideally, though, we want animals to land in long-term homes, which is what we're asking for help within the community."
APA! is asking the community to help it clear its shelves through adoption or fostering to allow the shelter to help more animals from Bastrop.
Even though the fire is more contained now, McCrae said BACS still needs help.
"As their shelter continues to intake more and more animals, that risk is still is still present," McCrae said. "We want to make sure that we are still working diligently to help them with their situation."
APA! stayed open late on Monday and Tuesday to give people a chance to adopt or foster the animals. If you are interested, McCrae encouraged people to stop by APA!'s location at 1156 W. Cesar Chavez St. to meet and interact with the animals.
If you cannot make it to APA!, you can also sign up to be an emergency foster on APA! 's website.
With the influx of animals, APA! is also asking for donations to cover the costs of transportation, care and finding a forever home for the animals.