Amid all the devastation, a box of kittens was rescued from raging California wildfires

Wildfires fueled by the Santa Ana winds have torn through Southern California this week, leaving widespread property damage. More than 500 homes have been destroyed by one fire alone, and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee.

There is, however, one bright spot amidst the destruction. On Thursday the San Diego Sheriff’s Department tweeted photos of a box of kittens that had been rescued by patrolling deputies:

“#LilacFire: Rescued from the Rubble. @SDSheriff Deputies patrolling burned areas of Bonsall found a box of kittens and turned them over to County Animal Services for some TLC Awww. Stay well little kitty.” reads the caption.

The kittens were brought to a central command station and then transferred to an animal shelter. According to the San Diego Department of Animal Services, the kittens have already been placed with a foster parent.

Some animals, however, were not so lucky. Twenty-five thoroughbred horses were killed in the blaze as it ripped through northern San Diego.

The so-called Lilac fire began Thursday off of San Diego’s Interstate 15. The cause of the fire is unknown, but an investigation is now underway. Around 1,000 firefighters battled the blaze throughout Thursday night.

“When a tornado hits the Midwest, there’s no stopping it. When a hurricane hits the East Coast, there’s no stopping it. When the Santa Ana winds come in, there’s no stopping them,” said Kendal Bortisser, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in San Diego, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

The strong winds that blow down from the Southern California mountains typically fuel the wildfires that have ravaged communities with regularity going back generations.

Mandatory evacuations of the affected areas have been ordered by state officials, and a state of emergency has been declared by California Gov. Jerry Brown.

President Trump shared a message on Twitter to thank the first responders and to tell citizens to heed the advice of local authorities.

The Lilac fire is just one of several firestorms beleaguering Californians this week. The Thomas fire, the largest of them all, has burned over 143,000 acres north of Los Angeles.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has shared satellite images of the blazes as seen from space:

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