In response to the devastating wildfires sweeping through Los Angeles County, Seattle Humane is set to receive 60 cats and dogs from LA-area shelters. This effort is part of a larger initiative to free up space in those southern California shelters for animals displaced by the ongoing blazes. KING 5 reports that the transfer was announced on Thursday, with the pets scheduled to arrive in Seattle via a flight coordinated by Wings of Rescue and Paws For Life K9 Rescue.

The wildfires have led to an exodus of at least 180,000 individuals under evacuation orders, with over 10,000 homes and structures consumed by the flames. Amid this upheaval, animal shelters are overwhelmed with pets separated from their families. "We’re freeing up space so that they can have the capacity to handle pets coming through," spokesperson Brandon Macz of Seattle Humane said in a statement obtained by The Seattle Times.

The affected pets are not newly orphaned animals from the wildfire but are part of the existing shelter population in LA. After a cross-state journey, these pets will land at Boeing Field on Sunday. Following health checkups and any necessary medical treatments including vaccinations or microchipping, they are expected to be up for adoption by Tuesday as per FOX 13 Seattle.

Those interesting in supporting the effort or adopting can identify the LA shelter animals by a special icon that will be included on their profile photos. Seattle Humane also encourages locals to consider adopting currently available pets to make room for the incoming arrivals. Information about the special icons and adoption processes was shared by KING 5.