Kilt-wearing Boulder Creek man defends town against fire

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BOULDER CREEK, Calif. (KION) A kilt-wearing Boulder Creek man is being called a hero for staying behind in town to run the gas station for first responders and even fight spot fires with a few others.

While he is certainly receiving a lot of attention on social media right now, Tyrone Clark says he is doing all this for the community he loves.

The still smoky hills of Boulder Creek are a constant reminder of the threat of wildfire just beyond. And there to meet that threat stands Clark, atop the roof of the gas station in his kilt, ready to go.

But he says he is no hero.

"It's hilarious, it's hilarious. It's like you are so brave, I'm so brave. Right… because I'm on a roof with a garden hose," he said.

His efforts, however, encompass much more. He says he has already put out some spot fires around the area, trying to stop the fires from reaching the center of town.

"The first several days, we were out there every hour or two, watering it all down, watering down everything to protect it," he said.

Clark has also been out posting social media videos on Facebook to inform the community that everything is OK so far.

One thing he is frustrated about though: not being able to move around freely because of what he calls a bureaucracy of rules. Clark says there needs to be ordinary people out there to protect homes and property; he's demanding credentials to move around without being stopped or turned around.

"Contact the sheriff. Get a message to him, we need credentials to be able to move around, to be able to do business. We need to be able to go and get supplies to install the new generator that we bought," he said. "We need to be able to come and go. Obviously not a looter. I was asked to come here by Cal Fire with our whole crew, asked to come here by Cal Fire to serve the trucks."

Cal Fire and law enforcement both discourage vigilante firefighting by citizens because they say it could hinder their operations and do more harm than good.

While that issue has been on Clark's mind, saving the town is at the heart of it all for this devoted denizen.

"Like, I've been looked after when I was in trouble. I've been looked after when my houses burned down two years ago, I was looked after," he said.