NYPD BlueActor William McNamara Helped Rescue Horses, Cats and Even Pigs as Palisades Fire Raged

Mar. 15, 2025

William McNamara attends the Last Chance for Animals' 35th anniversary gala at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 19, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California.Photo:Tibrina Hobson/Getty

Tibrina Hobson/Getty

William McNamara is lending a helping hand after the Palisades Fire.Ever since the fire broke out on Tuesday, Jan. 7, theNYPD Blueactor, 59has been documenting its destructionand his efforts to help rescue animals fromthe additional fireson his Instagram page.McNamara, affiliated with theanimal rescue nonprofitEastwood Ranch Foundationhas been helping with various animal rescue efforts throughout Los Angeles.One of thenearly 100 videos he has uploaded since the wildfires beganshows himhelping get pigs and goats ready to be evacuated from a farmin Agoura Hills.He alsogives a look at peacocks being rescuedin another video, as well as horses being evacuated in aseparate video.“Chickens, goats, pigs, peacocks, oh, and we started with the horses,” hecaptioned one of his clips.Inanother video, McNamara films himself finding a way into a stable to check for the location of a lost horse, while manyother videos also show him helping rescue his friend’s cats.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.One of his most recent videosshows him looking for two lost dogs and getting emotional after not being able to find them.“This is not good news. I searched the whole area,” McNamara said as he showed views of a burnt home.“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,” he continued. “This is terrible. 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.“William McNamara attends the Ethos Film Awards Presents “The Power Of Thought” Movie And Seminar at Laemmle Monica Film Center on November 11, 2022.Amy Graves/GettyMcNamara’s face appeared red during the interview withMSNBCon Thursday, Jan. 10, and he confirmed that what looked like a “bad sunburn” was a result of him getting “burned” during his rescue efforts.The Palisades Fire remainsthe largest fire ravaging Los Angeles Countyand has destroyed over 21,000 acres in Pacific Palisades and Malibu. It is currently only 8% contained, per theCalifornia Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner (DME) reported thatthere were 11 fire-related deaths in the L.A. area, as of Friday, Jan. 10.Click hereto learn more about how to help the victims of the L.A. fires.

William McNamara is lending a helping hand after the Palisades Fire.

Ever since the fire broke out on Tuesday, Jan. 7, theNYPD Blueactor, 59has been documenting its destructionand his efforts to help rescue animals fromthe additional fireson his Instagram page.

McNamara, affiliated with theanimal rescue nonprofitEastwood Ranch Foundationhas been helping with various animal rescue efforts throughout Los Angeles.

One of thenearly 100 videos he has uploaded since the wildfires beganshows himhelping get pigs and goats ready to be evacuated from a farmin Agoura Hills.

He alsogives a look at peacocks being rescuedin another video, as well as horses being evacuated in aseparate video.

“Chickens, goats, pigs, peacocks, oh, and we started with the horses,” hecaptioned one of his clips.

Inanother video, McNamara films himself finding a way into a stable to check for the location of a lost horse, while manyother videos also show him helping rescue his friend’s cats.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

One of his most recent videosshows him looking for two lost dogs and getting emotional after not being able to find them.

“This is not good news. I searched the whole area,” McNamara said as he showed views of a burnt home.

“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,” he continued. “This is terrible. 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.”

William McNamara attends the Ethos Film Awards Presents “The Power Of Thought” Movie And Seminar at Laemmle Monica Film Center on November 11, 2022.Amy Graves/Getty

Amy Graves/Getty

McNamara’s face appeared red during the interview withMSNBCon Thursday, Jan. 10, and he confirmed that what looked like a “bad sunburn” was a result of him getting “burned” during his rescue efforts.

The Palisades Fire remainsthe largest fire ravaging Los Angeles Countyand has destroyed over 21,000 acres in Pacific Palisades and Malibu. It is currently only 8% contained, per theCalifornia Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner (DME) reported thatthere were 11 fire-related deaths in the L.A. area, as of Friday, Jan. 10.

Click hereto learn more about how to help the victims of the L.A. fires.

source: people.com