How 32 Goats Saved East Bay Homes from Fire
If the fires in LA taught us anything, it’s the importance of staying vigilant and prepared for what’s inevitable—another wildfire. On October 18th, 2024, a wildfire started on the shoulder of 580 in Oakland and spread quickly due to high winds through a eucalyptus grove damaging 2 homes and threatening dozens more. Although this fire was on a much smaller scale than the raging blazes currently sweeping Los Angeles, it was swiftly contained thanks to the quick thinking of firefighters—and an unexpected hero: a herd of 32 goats and 4 sheep!
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Creating a defensible space to fight fires: with goats!
The Oakland Keller fire’s herd of heroes is the 32 courageous goats (and 4 sheep) owned by Molly Kenefick on her ranch in the Oakland hills. Kenefick owns a small scale goat grazing business called East Bay Goat Grazing which specializes in urban environments. Her herd of animals had grazed the hillside and created a firebreak that firefighters told her played a key role in limiting the fire’s impact.
“Like many homeowners in California, I am very attuned to news about wildfires and how climate change is affecting weather patterns and I saw big herds of goats grazing in parks from my car and wondered if there was a smaller-scale version for homeowners. I love being outside and working with animals and bonus: my job is reducing the amount of fuel available for wildfires, one of California’s biggest problems!
East Bay Goat Grazing, is an affiliate of the national network, Goats on the Go. We got our first animals May 7, 2023, and have done more than 60 jobs in the East Bay. In Berkeley, Oakland, Piedmont, Alameda, El Cerrito, Orinda, Lafayette, Hayward, Fremont,” says Kenefick.
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Effectively, Kenefick’s goat’s created what’s called defensible space. Defensible space is a buffer zone between your structure and the surrounding area, designed to slow or halt the progress of a wildfire. Goat grazing is ideal for creating this defensible space because of their insatiable appetites and happily munching on weeds, bushes, low-hanging branches, and dry brush—all of which serve as fuel for fires. They’ll even mow down plants that landscapers often avoid like blackberry bushes.
Kenefick recalls that firefighters from Cal Fire and Oakland Fire Department mentioned during the blaze near her ranch that the goats helped create a defensible space, which ultimately played a crucial role in saving nearby homes. “They said my goats creating a large swathe of defensible space allowed them to stop the fire at my ranch and if I hadn’t had the animals graze a big area so well that the fire could have continued beyond my property and up the hill, threatening the houses on the ridge line along Campus Drive.”
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These goats have worked with large and small scale projects with the smallest job being just 40’ by 30’ and the biggest is 9 acres. They specialize in jobs that are under 2 acres and have worked with homeowners who have jobs which are usually passed up by landscapers and will work with lower-income homeowners who need a pay-what-you-can option.
Kenefick spoke about working with lower-income homeowners in the East Bay, “We’ve done some grazing jobs for very little money to help lower-income folks in Oakland clear their yards of blackberry bushes, poison oak, and weeds.”
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Working with East Bay Goat Grazing:
With fires a real concern for all of us who live in areas where wildfires are very common, goats are in high-demand. According to CalFire the ideal width of a defensible space around your home is 100 feet from the exterior of your home. Kenefick’s herd has become a crucial part of wildfire preparedness in the Bay Area, with the business already completing over 60 jobs since its founding in 2023. But it also offers more than just fire safety benefits; it also helps improve soil quality, supports native plant growth, and removes invasive, high-fire-risk weeds like scotch broom.
“Goats are such sweet and curious friends. I think we have a great agreement: I feed them and give them veterinary care. In return they help keep Californians safe from wildfires,” says Kenefick.
Find out more about East Bay Goat Grazing here: eastbaygoatgrazing.com
all images courtesy of East Bay Goat Grazing
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