Creek Fire: Bass Lake residents trickle back to their homes

BASS LAKE, Calif. (KFSN) -- As firefighters continue to strengthen containment on the Creek Fire, evacuation order zones are now being downgraded to evacuation warnings.

Many residents were allowed to go back to their Fresno and Madera County homes but were told to have a plan to leave because of the unpredictable nature of the fire.

"This is the worst fire I've seen, it's the worst fire most people have seen in this area," said Madera County Sheriff's Office Commander Bill Ward.

"People need to take it seriously and be ready to leave at a moment's notice," he added.

Some of the newest evacuation orders-turned-warnings were in the north shore area of Bass Lake.

Residents are trickling back to the homes they were forced to leave behind.

Donald Weaver and his wife, like so many, have spent the week on edge, wondering if and when they'd be able to return to their Bass Lake home.

"Its nice to be home... everything's fine and we're cleaning up the ashes, getting ready to settle in," he said.

Weaver has lived in the area since '67.

He and his wife consider the Bass Lake community an extension of their family.

It's something his neighbor Kenneth Doig can attest to as he was checking on friends' cabins.

"My wife and I were ready to roll. I came over real quick and made sure everything was okay, then went back, picked her up, and brought the bags," Doig said.

While he and his wife are prepared to evacuate again if need be, he said nothing can take away from this moment.

"It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood and it usually is... just a little smokier than usual," he said.

The zones that have been downgraded to evacuation warning zones are open to residents only.

If you're trying to grab your boat to store it for the winter, you won't be able to get past roadblocks.