Thinking of running a roadblock inside the Creek Fire zone? Deputies promise you this
Two people were arrested Wednesday when they ran through roadblocks set up to prevent people from entering a massive wildfire zone in Fresno County.
Sheriff’s Lt. Brandon Pursell said at a nightly news conference that two people in separate vehicles failed to obey the roadblocks. Deputies had no choice but to pursue and pulled the cars over.
Both were taken into custody, although details on the suspects and the charges they might face were not immediately available.
Evacuation orders in Fresno County focus primarily on the Prather, Auberry, Sycamore and Huntington and Shaver lakes areas all the way back into the High Sierra. Once a mandatory evacuation order is in place, residents can’t re-enter.
The Creek Fire grew past 175,000 acres Wednesday with 0% containment.
Authorities warn people to stay away while fire personnel continue to fight the flames.
“We still have temporary and permanent roadblocks set up in our evacuation areas,” Pursell said. “That’s important and we need you guys to abide by those roadblocks.
“Anyone who drives through those roadblocks, you’re going to be arrested. We will chase you. We will arrest you for that.”
While he said that deputies “understand the frustration” of evacuees eager to see if their homes are still standing, it is simply too dangerous.
“We can’t let people drive through those roadblocks,” Pursell said. “As soon as people start driving through those roadblocks, then we lose control of it. We have to then jeopardize our fire personnel. We have to jeopardize our public safety personnel to now get you out of it.
“So please just stop at the roadblocks.”
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 10:30 PM with the headline "Thinking of running a roadblock inside the Creek Fire zone? Deputies promise you this."
