“Copycat” actor William McNamara asked fans not to call 911 as he rescued animals amid L.A. fire wildfires
"I made a decision to try and help some animals. If I'm dumb enough to do this then what happens, happens," the 59-year-old actor told his followers.
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William McNamara in 2019Amid the devastating Los Angeles fires, William McNamara is coming to the rescue of the animals who were left behind.
The actor — who's appeared in NYPD Blue, Beggars and Choosers, and DTLA — has been furiously active on social media ever since the wildfires broke out on Tuesday. While McNamara began by simply documenting the destruction, he has since transitioned to using his social media page to communicate with pet owners and show off the work of various nonprofits working to save animals throughout Los Angeles.
The Copycat actor has uploaded over 1,000 videos to Instagram, many of which see him searching through wreckage for pets or reassuring owners that their animals have been found, and safely retrieved. One clip sees McNamara at a ranch, helping to cage everything from chickens to peacocks so the animals can be brought to safety.
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"Chickens, goats, pigs, peacocks, oh, and we started with the horses," McNamara captioned his video. "This was a ranch in Agoura. Luckily I ran into the famous animal rescuer 'AC,' Aaron Christensen of Animal Advocacy Network and the 2 girls he works with Maya and Kalli from Viva Global Rescue."
He added that he "stuck with them the whole night," noting that they played a crucial role in the rescue of two cats owned by Instagram user, Cassie. McNamara made sure to document that encounter as well, which sees the team entering a home — with permission from its owner — so they can retrieve the two house cats who were left behind amid the evacuation efforts. Together, they're able to coax the cats into carriers.
In one Wednesday post, McNamara showed off his view of a raging fire while asking followers not to call 911 on his behalf.
"Guys I appreciate your concern. But sharing my coordinates or calling 911 is not what I'm going to do," he wrote. "The thing is I made a decision to try and help some animals. If I'm dumb enough to do this then what happens, happens. I do not want to be a burden to cops or firefighters. That's the last thing a rescuer should do."
He added, "That's the reason they don't want good Samaritans helping, they get in the way and they become a burden. We can't do that. I made the mistake and that's that. Cops and firefighters don't have time to deal with morons like me. So don't call 911!"
The actor was eventually taken to safety and in his latest video, spotlights a Santa Monica animal hospital. McNamara later addressed the rescues during an appearance on TMZ, where he offered context for the animals in danger.
"All the rescues that we did, that I did, were not people that rushed out without their pets," he explained. "These people would never do that, the people that I spoke to. These people, like Cassie for instance, she was down on Sawtelle [Blvd.] when police shut off the Palisades. I was already inside, thank God, or I wouldn't [have] gotten in either. But they were shut out and they were not allowed back in."
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William McNamara in 2022Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
McNamara went on to say that one of the pet owners, whose two dogs he was unable to save, "tried to risk his life" to get back to his home for the animals, but no matter the excuse, police barred people from entering for their own safety.
Elsewhere on McNamara's feed was a clip that saw him warn viewers before showing the charred remains of an animal left behind, in an effort to offer the owners "closure." Another video saw the actor become emotional as he walked through a burnt down home, unable to find the dogs he was searching for.
"This is not good news. I searched the whole area," McNamara explained. "It's completely burnt, but I can't find any charred bodies, so there is a slight possibility that they did get out… but this is the house."
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Addressing the owners, he continued, "This is really a depressing situation. Now, maybe there's a small chance the dogs got out, and they're out running around, but we were calling for them as well. So this doesn't look good. Very sorry."
The Palisades and Eaton Fires have resulted in 11 confirmed deaths so far, reports Reuters. The blazes — which led California Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency and resulted in approximately 153,000 residents being evacuated — have destroyed more than 12,000 structures
Click here for more information on ways to support victims of the California wildfires.
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