- A California firefighter says he was robbed while fighting a blaze in Santa Cruz.
- Fire officials say someone broke into the firefighter's vehicle, stole his wallet, then drained his bank account. One official called the theft "sickening".
- Last week, five people were arrested for looting homes that were evacuated in Santa Cruz County. Police are still investigating the wallet theft.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is investigating and looking for surveillance video to track down the person or people involved.
Chief Deputy Clark with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said-
“Frankly, I can’t believe someone would actually have the nerve to break into a firefighter’s vehicle or enter their vehicle to steal something from them when they’re there to protect the community,”
It's truly sad and unfortunate that while putting their lives in danger to protect others that this happens. There has been been at least three other reports of suspicious behavior in these evacuated ares, although no arrests have been made. Sheriff's office has to put at least 60 deputies from their office and 34 from other agencies in the fire zone throughout the day to prevent burglaries and looting.
- Cal Fire doesn’t have a donation campaign set up for the fire commander.
- A spokesperson warns people to be weary of accounts claiming to raise money for the commander, verify the origin of the site.
- This incident comes just days after five people were arrested on suspicion of looting in Santa Cruz County.