Panic spreads when fake firefighter tells residents to evacuate, Arizona cops say

A man pretending to be a firefighter told residents they needed to evacuate because of an approaching wildfire, causing panic, Arizona deputies said.

But an evacuation notice had never been put in place by authorities.

Patrick Parent, a former Yarnell Fire District firefighter , went to neighborhoods in Congress on July 11 and warned residents to leave the area, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

Parent had been let go from the fire department several months earlier, deputies said.

Despite this, he was dressed in firefighter clothing and was wearing a hard hat with a lamp, deputies said.

Parent was caught on a Ring doorbell camera saying, “fire department,” as he contacted residents, deputies said.

Deputies later found him and arrested him on suspicion of driving under the influence pending the results of a blood alcohol test, impersonating a public servant, criminal nuisance and disorderly conduct.

“YCSO wants to stress that any evacuation notices will come from YCSO through proper channels or by our personnel directly,” deputies said.

A wildfire was burning in the area, but evacuation orders weren’t issued because “successful backburning and slurry drops last night mitigated the level of concern for any evacuations needed,” deputies said.

The Hillside Fire started July 9, about 3 miles north of Congress, after lightning struck the area. The fire has spread over 800 acres and is 0% contained as of July 12, according to InciWeb.

Congress is about an 80-mile drive northwest from Phoenix.

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