The Thorpe family was one of many who were forced to flee their homes when a devastating wildfire swept through the village of Lytton, B.C., on June 30.
They lost their dream retirement home in the wildfire.
But even more devastating, they thought they had lost all their animals in the blaze as well.
Tricia Thorpe and her husband, who drives a school bus, were asked to help get as many residents out as possible as the fire bore down on their village, but when they tried to go back to get their hobby farm, they were told it was too dangerous to enter.
They had to evacuate to Lillooet and then again to Kelowna, where Thorpe decided to post about her animals on the Lyttonites Facebook page.
That’s where they received a message that filled their hearts with joy.
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“It was like a miracle,” Thorpe told Global News. “It was like it was unbelievable. I was just so numb and then everything was so black and then there was this little bright spot that, ‘Hey some of them made it’.”
The firefighters said in a post on the Facebook page that all seven of the Thorpes’ puppies were OK and in good spirits, although mom was a bit tired.
They gave them clean water and puppy chow and even managed to scrounge up a few marrow bones and kibble for the adults.
They also said they would check on them again.
Aside from the dogs, the alpaca and the sheep were given alfalfa pellets and they also got some fresh, clean water.
In total, three adult dogs survived, seven puppies, four sheep and an alpaca.
It is not known when the Thorpes might be able to get back in to see and retrieve their animals.
“I will forever, ever be grateful to those firefighters and everyone, the Lyttonites, for what they have done,” Thorpe said.
“I’ll never be able to repay them for that.”
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