Linn County 'Cowboy Convoy' helping to evacuate livestock from danger areas

Residents of Linn County have banded together to help out their neighbors and others from around the region.

Up in linn county...a community of volunteers have been working to keep livestock and animals safe for neighbors in areas near or around fires all over the state.

Kezi 9 news reporter andrew haubner caught up with them in crawfordsville where they were briefly staged this afternoon.

Down in the southeast...there's a volunteer group of boaters and residents that provide aid during floods or hurricanes dubbed the cajun navy.

Up in crawfordsville...a group of residents from all over linn county have become something of an impromptu cowboy convoy.

Jamie frasiur: this morning my sister said we're coming over here.

This is our town even though we now live in albany.

And she put out a message saying we're comingto crawfordsville school to stage and dave butler from lebanon he was up in sweet home, he was up in thriftway and he started with his crew headed here.

Butler is a retired firefighter on disability but has found a way to help people in the area...shuffling livestock and animals off ranches in danger zones.

Dave butler: i'm out on a disability so i can't go fight the fire but i sure as hell can help get people and their animals out of their way.

We've run calls in the scio area, we've had some that broke off to go down to the mckenzie river area to help with some animal evacuations down there.

We had some that went up to the molalla oregon city area yesterday to go up there.

It's wonderful to see all these people come together.

Which also frees up the fire crews to do what they need to do and frees people up to evacuate without second thoughts.

Alexis delair: they have our phone numbers and everything so that they can go straight in and take care of it.

They don't have to worry about the livestock because we let em know 'hey we've been here, we've got the livestock.

They're good to go when you say go'.

Dave butler: this is our state.

This is oregon.

We love it.

These are our woods and our families are losing their animals, they're losing their property, they're losing their loved ones.

We're burning from one side of the state to the other.

And i'll do whatever i can to help.

Reporting in crawfordsville...an drew haubner...kezi 9 news.