In Arizona, fire crews are working hard to bring the blaze that torched at least 62 homes under control. The Wallow Fire is now the largest in recent Arizona history, encompassing more than 500,000 acres.
Rescuers are concerned that some of more than 100 horses saved from the flames will need new homes, as local residents begin to salvage their lives from the ashes.
Around 11,000 people have been evacuated and scores of homes burned. Many volunteers have worked to save horses, donkeys, cats, dogs and even hens exposed to the wind-whipped blaze that drove residents from their homes.
Animal experts say that saving panicked livestock presents a great challenge to rescuers.
"It's more of catastrophe, because it is very difficult to move your livestock at a moment's notice," said Dusty Prentice, a large animal veterinarian tending to Charlie's burns at the Horse'n Around Rescue Ranch and Foundation in Palominas.
Among stories with a happy ending is Rosie, a shaggy haired donkey reported missing when the fire bore down on homes in a wide open pasture, forcing owners to make a hurried retreat to safety.
Rosie's owner thought the donkey was a goner. "But as I came around the corner, there was the donkey drinking out of bird birth. She was not singed, she was fine. It was pretty incredible," he added.
Many animals that survived have burns and other wounds that volunteers and animal rescuers are working to treat the animals, and where the owners are not in a position to care for their animals, find other homes for them.