There’s so much sad news coming out of the Los Angeles area the past couple of days as wildfires rage uncontrolled in Pacific Palisades, Altadena and other communities, wiping out entire neighborhoods and turning the sky into an apocalyptic pall.

But this is ‘Merica, and during these types of disasters, you often see heroes go above and beyond to help others. Veterinarian Annie Harvilicz is one of those heroes, as she turned an empty hospital into a sanctuary for pets stranded by the evacuations when their owners were sometimes unable to take them with them.

She runs two animal hospitals, but neither of them is close to the Palisades. What to do? It was when she was asked by her brother to look after his cat and his bunny that she had a brilliant idea:

In thinking about where to shelter Winston and Oreo, Harvilicz realized she had a perfect spot. Two weeks ago, she had moved her Marina del Rey hospital to a new building just a block away, and she still had access to the old building. When she brought the cat and the bunny there, she got an idea.

“I looked around and was like, ‘There’s going to be other people that need help, and we have all this empty space. Let’s use it,’” said Harvilicz.

And so she did, and the idea was an immediate hit.

She put out an offer on social media: “I am happy to house any animals that need to be evacuated. If you know anyone who needs to leave and doesn’t have a place for their pets please have them email me,” she wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday morning.

Requests from pet owners began to trickle in, as she expected. But then something unexpected happened: Harvilicz’s inbox began blowing up with hundreds of people volunteering to help her however they could.

“For every person who needed help, there were 50 people offering to help,” she said. “It brings tears to my eyes.”

Watch her tell her story:

Veterinarian Annie Harvilicz speaks about taking in pets amid fire evacuations in the Los Angeles area.

“Most people reaching out to me are reaching out to help,” Harvilicz says. pic.twitter.com/GZM2Cooa7Z

— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) January 8, 2025

So far, she’s taken in approximately 40 dogs and cats and Oreo the rabbit. “I had a family bring in 10 dogs, and they had to leave behind their horses,” she said. “To me, this is a no-brainer. I looked around and said, ‘I have a lot of space here. I can help.’”

Even in tragedy, there’s good out there:

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The animals seem to be adjusting well:

“The dogs that are friendly with each other are staying in rooms together,” she said. “They’re not all in kennels and cages. They actually are hanging out with each other; they are pretty happy dogs right now.”

Harvilicz said the outpouring of support from animal lovers has helped to keep her going.

“People love animals,” she said. “They’re such amazing beings, and they touch the hearts of so many people. That just comes out so beautifully when there is a time of tragedy.”

I’m guessing she’ll be taking in a lot more as this disaster continues. We salute her.

Dr. Annie Harvilicz is a hero with a big heart. https://t.co/hQfsCPyRqs

— Jane Hay (@Hay0Jim) January 8, 2025