MADERA COUNTY – Sheriff Varney is proud to announce that Sergeant Larry Rich, Deputy Warren Anderson, Deputy Eric Grijalva and Deputy Chris Williams were singled out to be honored by the American Red Cross at the annual Real Heroes Event in Fresno on Friday, Mar. 20.
These four Madera County Sheriff’s deputies were selected as Real Heroes due to their courageous actions during the Courtney Fire that swept through the Bass Lake Heights area in September of 2014.
On Sept. 14, the fire, which eventually grew to over 300 acres and destroyed 30 homes along Road 426, broke out at the end of Courtney Lane and spread quickly through the tinder-dry brush. The deputies immediately began going door to door, evacuating residents in Bass Lake Heights. They stayed in the area and continued to evacuate residents even after the fire started jumping over roads and threatening to trap people in the affected area.
The deputies were honored for their service where they knowingly put their own personal safety at risk to make sure that the residents were notified and able to get out of the area.
For their heroic and selfless actions, the American Red Cross selected them to be recipients of the prestigious Real Heroes award.
“These deputies demonstrated the concept of service above self with their courageous actions,” says Sheriff Varney.
