Police officers in Vacaville, California, were in a race against time to rescue animals from a shelter on August 11 as a wildfire was fast approaching.

The Nelson Fire had already burned through 2,100 acres and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SCPA) shelter lay directly in the path of the encroaching fire.

Officers Carly Stone and Kirsten Jennings were first on the scene outside the shelter. They rushed in and began rounding up the animals, bundling cats into crates and leashing dogs to ferry them to safety.

Within 10 minutes, the police, along with shelter employees, had safely removed 60 animals as flames and smoke billowed just a short distance from the shelter.

The dramatic rescue was captured on Officer Stone's body camera, which she edited into a short video and shared on Facebook.

Officers were seen sprinting to and from the shelter, placing animals anywhere they could fit in their police cars. After being rescued, local residents generously volunteered to house the animals temporarily overnight.

“Even though the dogs had never met us before, and we were in a strange uniform, it was almost like they knew we were there to help them,” Officer Stone said in an interview with Anderson Cooper.

Lieutenant Mark Donaldson, of Vacaville Police, said: “California has had a particularly dry season, meaning we are always susceptible to wildfires – even in suburban areas, rather than forested.

"After a sudden gust of wind changed the fire’s path downhill and towards the SPCA, our officers only had minutes to react."