Farmers, ranchers offering assistance for animals displaced by Detwiler Fire

As the Detwiler Fire continues to consume thousands of acres of forest land in Mariposa County, farmers and ranchers in the area are banding together to provide a safe home for livestock animals affected by the blaze.

The farm bureaus in Merced, Madera, Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties have put calls out to their members for assistance in relocating animals in Mariposa County to pens and ranches away from the flames.

Earlier Wednesday, about 30 horses were evacuated to the Coarsegold Rodeo Grounds. Volunteers were looking for donations of feed, water buckets, and a halter and lead rope. The rodeo grounds can be reached at 559-676-7864.

Cliff Odom, a representative of Producers Livestock Marketing Association in Madera, said the livestock yard has plenty of room for people’s cattle or horses. Although they hadn’t received a call yet, they were anticipating they might.

“We just want to try and help out the community,” Odom said. “That fire keeps growing.”

Madera County Farm Bureau officials also issued a plea on their Facebook for various donated items, including bottled water, food items, small animal feed, large animal feed and livestock bedding.

The Madera County Farm Bureau can be reached at 559-674-8871 or fbmadera@outlook.com for more information.

This story was originally published July 19, 2017 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Farmers, ranchers offering assistance for animals displaced by Detwiler Fire."