Officials: Listen to evacuation orders during fires

Stephanie Servin of Indio describes how close Monday’s brush fire on Avenue 38 got to her neighbor’s home.

“The flames were literally right next to that house,” Servin said.

Inside was as couple, who didn’t want to leave.

“It’s stupid, it’s smoking right there dude, go away you know? Your hose isn’t going to protect you,” said Dennis Richards, who lives about a quarter of mile from where the fire sparked.

As Servin watched the flames, she feared for her neighbors’ lives.

“Why wouldn’t you evacuate, you know?” Servin said. “I don’t think it’s a smart idea but you can’t really do anything about it.”

Firefighters say that’s true. They can’t force you out of your home.

But you risk your life not listening to an evacuation order.

“We’re hoping people will be smart enough, conscious enough to know they’re in danger and that they need to leave,” said Fernando Herrera, Fire Captain for CalFire.
“If they don’t, unfortunately they’re on their own.”

It’s within your right as a homeowner to stay with your property. But firefighters say you’ll get a constant reminder that it’s best to leave your belongings behind.

“We’ll persuade them, we’ll continue to persuade them to evacuate for their own safety but we can’t spare resources to enforce that,” Herrera said.