SoCal firefighters try to round up animals in Santa Barbara County

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KGO) -- Fighting a fire is tough, and crews in Southern California learned trying to round up our feathered friends is no easy task either.

Firefighters working the Thomas fire took time this week to feed and relocate some 100 stranded animals in Toro Canyon, Santa Barbara County.

Flames barely spared their enclosure.

Thomas Fire: New evacuations ordered in Santa Barbara County

"Came very close, actually caught part of the enclosure here on fire. Pretty intense here the other night," one man said.

The plan was to relocate all the animals.

But the birds created chaos when firefighters tried to catch them.

The birds were left there and are being checked on daily.

PHOTOS: Thomas Fire devastates Ventura County

1 of 67

A helicopter drops water while trying to keep a wildfire from jumping Santa Ana Road near Ventura, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017.

AP Photo/Noah Berger