The American Red Cross honored local sheriff’s deputies this month for “courageous actions” during the Courtney Fire in September, according to Sheriff Jay Varney.
Honored at an annual Real Heroes event were Sgt. Larry Rich, Deputy Warren Anderson, Deputy Chris Williams and Deputy Eric Grijalva.
On Sept. 14, a fire broke out at the end of Courtney Lane in rural Madera County and “quickly started spreading,” Varney said. From the beginning, deputies evacuated residents in Bass Lake Heights and continued “even after the fire started jumping over roads and threatening to trap people.”
“The deputies knowingly put their own personal safety at risk to make sure that the residents of the area were notified and able to get out of the area,” Varney said. “These deputies demonstrated the concept of service above self with their courageous actions.” ...