Lake View Terrace horse shelter volunteers get love for helping during La Tuna Fire

LAKE VIEW TERRACE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It wasn't just people who were forced to evacuate as the La Tuna Fire got close to their homes, hundreds of horses and other large animals had to leave, too.

Many of those animals were taken to Hansen Dam Equestrian Center in Lake View Terrace, where volunteers helped care for them.

On Saturday, the center hit its peak at 270 horses. There were so many coming in for shelter that some were sent to Pierce College's equestrian facilities.

But animals weren't the only focus there. A heaping pile of donations poured into the center as the community showed support for the volunteers and people who were evacuated, too.

"It's been amazing. We got bleach wipes and sanitary stuff. It's just fantastic. It's really nice, too, because we had some people who didn't have a place to go when they moved their animals," volunteer CJ Bailey said. "I found someone who hadn't eaten for days and we didn't know that. So we brought her a bunch of food and now she's fed and that's just awesome."

All the volunteers at the shelter braved the heat and long hours to take care of the animals and people who stayed at the center.

As the fire wound down, only about 130 horses were left as people slowly returned to their homes.