Kanarraville » When the Mill Flat wildfire erupted into an inferno in the Pine Valley Mountains next to the town of New Harmony on Saturday, the Iron County Area Livestock Rescue was ready.

Letting fire managers know it were there to help, its saved 22 horses, three lamas, a goat and a couple of dozen cats and dogs.

Group director Julie Moren said Tuesday residents who decided to evacuate but needed a safe haven for their animals could bring them to donated corral or kennel space in Kanarraville, five miles away. Other animals were picked up by Livestock Rescue volunteers.

About half of the known 51 domestic horses in New Harmony are now being kept by her group until the smoke and flames subside. Next week, if conditions permit, Moren said she and some volunteers will ride on horseback through the burned areas looking for horses that were cut loose and set free to avoid advancing flames.

Grazing livestock like cattle and sheep don't usually face the problems of other animals in an emergency because they can be herded to safe pastures through mutual grazing agreements shared among ranchers.

Moren's group began two years ago after consultation with Iron County Sheriff Mark Gower, who on Tuesday said the volunteers have been an asset to his office.

"Julie gets all the credit," said Gower on Tuesday. "She's a huge resource to this department by taking a lot of pressure off law enforcement."

Besides taking care of animals during a disaster like the fire, Moren's group is trained in rescuing animals trapped in overturned trailers, stranded on cliffs or suffering from neglect. Gower said Moren and her volunteers even helped in a homicide investigation by removing some neglected horses from the crime scene and finding them adopted homes.

The volunteers will also help ranchers take hay to stock stranded in fields blanketed with deep snow, or provide feed to an owner who can't afford to feed their horse.

Iron County Area Livestock Rescue operates under the umbrella of a state's Utah Emergency Animal Response Coalition, a nonprofit organization established after the need for animal safety and protection emerged from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Warren Hess, assistant state veterinarian and director of the Utah Emergency Animal Response Coalition, (UEARC) said the Mill Fire is the first in which one of the state groups associated with his organization has responded to a natural disaster emergency.

UEARC was organized in 2007 after Congress passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act, in 2006, directing communities to have a plan in place for dealing with the safety of pets and service animals. The Utah organizations operate using volunteers and are funded largely by private donations, with some funding coming from Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state agriculture department.

Hess said several cities and counties in Utah have joined UEARC and he encourages others to join.

Iron County, because it was one of the first to organize, is also one of the most successful and he said much of the credit goes to Moren.

"Julie's a go getter, just fantastic." said Hess.

mhavnes@sltrib.com

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To learn more about the group or how to donate, visit uearc.org.