Alberta animal control seeks help after car fire

It was an unknown route for Marc Heethuis-Dubois, with a well-known mission: giving animals a second chance at life.

But on the way home to Boomer's Haven Animal Rescue & Sanctuary in Irricana, Alta. After picking up two stray cats from Lethbridge, he noticed his vehicle was causing him problems.

“I started to lose power,” Heethuis-Dubois told Global News. “And then I started thinking, 'I'm in the middle of nowhere.'”

Soon, the lack of a working vehicle would be the least of his worries.

“The moment I stopped (a rest), I noticed it was smoking.

“I opened the hood and got out to look and there was an orange glow coming from under the hood.”

Heethuis-Dubois opened the hood and discovered that his vehicle was on fire.

After three frantic attempts to get into the luggage compartment to rescue the cats, he was able to pull them out in the nick of time.

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“While I was running with the blanket, I heard a 'whoosh' sound. I turned around and looked and was about twenty feet from the vehicle and the flames had gone from the dashboard all the way to the back.

Frantic video taken by Heethuis-Dubois shows firefighters appearing on the highway just minutes later, but the car was already a complete loss.

“There might be one bond (that remains).”

Heethuis-Dubois is glad he is physically unharmed, but the aftermath has left his volunteer rescue without their primary means of transportation.

They currently work with a loaner vehicle, but the way they work has changed drastically.

“To transport animals to medical appointments, to adoption events, to collect donations, to run out at a moment's notice to help people in the community.

“Now we have a spare vehicle that can barely fit two people, let alone animals.”

Donations People have been pouring in since the incident earlier this month and the rescue operation hopes to get back on some suitable wheels soon.

“Even that evening we were still receiving calls and messages that we were unable to respond to, but now that we are there is still nothing we can do to help.”

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