Santa Rosa animal lover dies in Tubbs Fireplace attempting to save lots of her canine

Valerie Lynn Evans was known for her love for animals. She kept horses, goats, dogs, a mule, and an ox at her home on Coffey Lane in Santa Rosa.

“We knew her as the horse lady,” said Tracy Long, who was Mrs. Evans’ neighbor for two decades. Ms. Evans, 75, occasionally took a mule down the street and let passers-by feed it, she said.

Mrs. Evans died at her home on Sunday evening or early Monday morning trying to save her dogs from the approaching Tubbs Fire. Her death was confirmed Thursday by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

Brian Strehlow, who lived across the street, said when the flames approached he offered to help Mrs. Evans, but she shooed him away.

“She said, ‘We have that,’” Strehlow recalls.

Ms. Evans lived with her husband, son and daughter-in-law in a house with a barn and a parent-in-law. Neighbors believed the other three family members escaped but have not been able to reach them since the fire.

She had an extensive collection of horse books, parts of which survived the fire. Long, whose house was also on fire, said she occasionally saw stray pages from Mrs. Evans’ library wafting down the street.

Rachel Swan is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan