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Fire Destroys Stanwood Animal Sanctuary STANWOOD - An early Friday morning fire destroyed part of a Stanwood animal sanctuary. Judy Woods has 200 animals on her farm -- 185 of them are neglected or abandoned pigs. The fire started around 3 a.m., destroying the education center at "Pigs Peace Sanctuary." "My son opened the door and said, 'Mom! The education center is on fire,' " she remembers. "(I saw) smoke coming out, and flames coming out the top of the roof." Fortunately, the animals were not hurt. They were asleep in the barns. However, a friend who was sleeping on a couch in the education center narrowly escaped the burning building. He woke up to the smell of smoke and saw the ceiling engulfed in flames. At this point, it looks like the fire was an accident, possibly starting near the wood stove. Woods would like to rebuild, but first she needs to take care of the sanctuary's immediate needs. The fire knocked out the farm's electricity, and that means there's no power going to the water pump. For now, Woods is buying gallons of water for all of the animals. "I had to go buy 9 gallons of water at 4 a.m. because the cats didn't have water, it's just stuff that has to be done," she said looking back at the burned building. The education center is a major part of Pigs Peace Sanctuary and they use it everyday. "We have school groups come, I show videos, and every Sunday we're open to the general public for visiting," she explained. "That's where all of the education material is for the sanctuary, our history, and what we've been doing." A school group was scheduled to come to the farm and see the pigs on Friday, but after the fire Woods had to cancel their visit. Woods never imagined she would take in 200 animals, but years ago when she heard their plight and realized nobody was doing anything, she jumped into action and opened her doors. She says her mission is to "educate people about the message of compassion and kindness to animals." For now, her mission is on hold. "It's all in that room, and now it's all burned." For More Information: |
