It’s been an eventful two days for Richard and Kaylen Spooner, who were forced to evacuate their farm and horses on the evening of July 24th following the spread of the Sand Fire, which began on Friday in Southern California’s Santa Clarita Valley. Thousands fled in the wake of the 55-square-mile inferno, which burned at the unprecedented rate of 10,000 acres a day, filling the skies with thick, foul-smelling smoke.

“I’m looking forward to catching up on some sleep!” said Kaylen Spooner, adding that the couple received the green light from authorities to return to their home at 7 p.m. last night.

Kaylen was on the road when the order to evacuate came, spurring a hurried return in her Jeep Wrangler. When she was told the roads to the farm were closed, Kaylen followed horse trails, instead, arriving in time to meet Richard and their team and to load the horses onto a trailer provided by Ashlee Bond’s father, Steve. The animals were driven to safety and examined by a veterinarian for possible smoke inhalation. All received a clean bill of health.

Kaylen Spooner on Cristallo. (©Richard Spooner)

Kaylen Spooner on Cristallo. (©Richard Spooner)

The horses will return to the Spooner’s farm this evening and the couple is grateful for the efforts of local police, firefighters, and their friends. “It’s been just unbelievable, the amount of support from the horse community. I can’t even tell you,” Kaylen says. “You think you’ve got it all planned out—we’ve got all the brush off our property and we have fire hydrants, but you still feel so helpless because you have to leave.”

This afternoon, authorities declared the Sand Fire to be 25 percent contained. More than 3,000 firefighters from multiple agencies are involved in the effort to stop the blaze, which has so far claimed one human fatality.