40 rescue animals killed in Newcastle barn fire

Melyssa Descovich's heart sank when she saw her phone ring around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. Her worst fears were confirmed when her neighbor's voice on the other end said her barn full of exotic rescue animals, including several babies, was engulfed in flames. "I screamed at my husband to get out of bed and get down there and save the animals," Descovich said. But by the time they arrived at their Newcastle facility, Enchanted Forest Exotic Animal Sanctuary, it was too late. "The barn is where we keep our entire nursery of animals, all the babies. We lost every baby we had. Everyone of them." Descovich said 40 animals – baby tortoises, geese, ducklings, chicks, pigeons and an iguana – died in the fire. Twenty-five animals, including ostriches, turkeys, cattle, pigs, lambs and geese, survived. Descovich's non-profit sanctuary operated for 13 years as Placer County Tortoise Rescue before transitioning to a more diverse exotic rescue place for animals that previously suffered abuse or crises. Taking in anywhere from five to 35 animals per week, Descovich worked to find these animals new homes. Many animals were fed, cleaned and cared for by volunteers in Descovich's "Wonderful Wednesdays" program, which allows adults with special needs to perform "ability-appropriate" work to assist at the sanctuary. Two of those volunteers, Daniel King and Cam Weitzel, felt they formed bonds with some of the animals that died in the fire. "It was devastating," King said. "I didn't cry, but my heart just broke." On Monday, Descovich opened the facility to those who frequently visited the sanctuary or once had animals housed there. There wasn't much left from the fire's destruction. "I realized when this fire happened, I needed to come here and see to really grieve and start my healing process," Descovich said. "Then I realized if I feel that way, there's probably a lot of people that feel that way, too." CAL FIRE Assistant Chief Mike Rufenacht said units responded to the blaze at 4:01 a.m. Sunday. Units from Placer County Fire Department, Auburn City Fire Department, Newcastle Fire Department, Placer Hills Fire Department and South Placer Fire District responded and "crews reported knockdown of the fire by 4:25 a.m.," according to Rufenacht. Descovich, who planned to transition the animals to their new location in Colfax, said there is "enough circumstantial, situational evidence" for the Placer County Sheriff's Department to consider the cause of the fire "could have been arson." "I can't imagine why somebody would kill these animals," Descovich said. "We had 40 animals in here die. … We'll see what the investigation draws from that." Rufenacht, however, said, "At this point in the investigation, we do not believe" this was a case of arson.