'NYPD Blue' actor William McNamara shares his valiant efforts to rescue animals during Palisades fire

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: William McNamara has been posting updates of the Palisades Fire's devastation—since it began on Tuesday, January 7—and his attempts to help save animals from the other fires on his Instagram feed.

The 'NYPD Blue' actor has been visiting the locations affected by the wildfires alongside representatives of Viva Global Rescue and the Animal Advocacy Network to rescue animals, as per Daily Mail.

William McNamara talks about rescuing animals amid raging wildfires

William McNamara, who starred in the 1994 Navy comedy 'Chasers' and the 1995 thriller 'Copycat', recently told TMZ why he and the others chose to go on rescue missions on their own instead of contacting 911 for assistance.

As for taking resources away from people who might need them, he said, "You don't want to be a burden."

McNamara posted a video of a cat rescue operation on Instagram on Friday, January 10. 

In the clip, the actor said, "The guys and gals who are real heroes here is a guy name AC, Aaron Christiansen, and he's with the Animal Advocacy Network. He alone, with the two girls Maya and Kalli of Viva Global Rescue,... they've got the horse trailers...rescued 313 animals' since Wednesday." 

The 'Amber Road' star also shared that ranches beyond the fire zone have been stepping up to provide the big animals with temporary housing. "People immediately came to the rescue," he noted.

These included the Santa Monica Police Department's equestrian officers, who "sent their trailers back to help" after saving their horses from their Agoura Hills housing.

"The animal community... they are the best people on planet Earth and they will do it. Nobody's slept. I haven't gone to bed yet," the 'American Desert' star said, adding that the smoke and flames had scorched his face and irritated his eyes and throat.

"We're always looking out for each other and it's a great community. We really come together in times of need and emergencies," the actor remarked. 

During his recent interview with MSNBC, McNamara's face was red, and he admitted that the appearance of a "bad sunburn" was in fact the result of him being "burned" while doing rescue operations.

The 'Out Of Hand' actor shared that he has a long history of caring for animals. He helped save several animals during the 2018 Woolsey fire in Malibu, including Grammy winner Diane Warren's pigs.

McNamara has encountered several obstacles on behalf of animals, such as being detained in Japan while collaborating with Sea Shepherd.

William McNamara helps rescue horses, cats, and pigs amid the devastating Pacific Palisades wildfire

William McNamara has been assisting multiple animal rescue initiatives in Los Angeles as a representative of the nonprofit Eastwood Ranch Foundation, as per People.

He has posted around 100 videos since the wildfires started, including one where he assisted in preparing goats and piglets for evacuation from an Agoura Hills farm.

In another video, he showed the evacuation of horses, while in another, he showed the rescue of peacocks. "Chickens, goats, pigs, peacocks, oh, and we started with the horses," he wrote in the caption for one of his videos.

In several additional videos, McNamara can be seen assisting his friend in rescuing their cats, and in another, he recorded himself navigating a stable to look for a lost horse.

In one of his most recent uploads, the 59-year-old is seen searching for two lost dogs and becoming upset when he is unable to locate them. "This is not good news. I searched the whole area," he said, showing a house burned down by the fire.

The Palisades Fire, which has scorched over 21,000 acres in Pacific Palisades and Malibu, is still the biggest fire blazing in Los Angeles County with containment at 11%, as per the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).