Locals reflect on fire evacuations in Lemoore after 2 teens arrested for arson

LEMOORE, Calif. (KFSN) -- A suitcase successful manus with immoderate of Camille Turpin's important items.

Her sister Cynthia is helping Camille instrumentality to her location aft a frightening Tuesday afternoon, erstwhile she rushed retired owed to a occurrence burning nearby.

"And we ran retired and each we could spot was plumes of smoke, and the archetypal happening I thought was 'oh no, not again, aft the 2012 fire," says Camille, who has lived successful her Lemoore location for astir 50 years.

Lemoore Police accidental 2 teenagers lit a firework that ignited the flames.

The flying embers jumped Highway 198 and past sparked six antithetic fires crossed the town.

"I conscionable kept thinking, boy, if the winds conscionable shift, we are done. Once the occurrence would person deed the eucalyptus trees down my house, that's it. It's each over," recalls Camille.

RELATED: 2 kids arrested for arson aft mounting disconnected firework connected writer successful Lemoore, constabulary say

Thanks to a detective successful the country who saw the teens moving retired of the tract with a plume of fume down them, the 14-year-olds were arrested connected felony arson charges.

"Without him being astatine the close spot astatine the close time, this could person caused a batch much damage, could've mislaid lives truthful convey goodness for his speedy reasoning and being successful the close spot to allocate resources to the close areas," says Lemoore Police Officer, Steven McPherson.

Three abstracted structures were burned and a semi-truck hauling hay connected the road caught fire.

Police accidental with the adust conditions and gusty winds, the blaze could person gotten retired of power precise quickly.

"It was conscionable an wide squad effort and we are conscionable truthful thankful it didn't extremity up immoderate worse than this," says Officer McPherson.

Both sisters, Camille and Cynthia, accidental they are thankful that Tuesday's concern was nether control.

As for those 2 teens, the District Attorney's bureau is waiting for the study from probations to reappraisal it.

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