Creek Fire: Fresno laundromat washes clothes of fire evacuees for free

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Creek Fire has impacted thousands of mountain residents forced to flee in a moment's notice.

"It was really difficult. At 6 am, the sheriff came by with a bullhorn and said you must evacuate, you must evacuate now," said Garey Porter of Tollhouse.

Garey Porter is one of the evacuees. Porter is also known as Santa Claus in the Tollhouse area and was a fixture at Cressman's during Christmas, which burned down.

While his home is standing, he's been down in Clovis and recently got some help from a local laundromat.

"Since we only had limited clothes. We couldn't pack all our clothes. It was the perfect timing because I was down to my last pair of shorts. Frank picked it up and delivered the next morning," Porter said.

Frank Turner and his wife are the owners of Sudz in central Fresno. They just bought the business when the pandemic unfolded.

When they saw the devastation from the Creek Fire, they wanted to help.

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"We take a pretty major decision, 'How do I get my infant fresh clothes or get my kids clothes not to smell like smoke. They're pretty stressed about it and we take that off their hands, and I've seen teary eyes just from doing people's laundry," Turner said.

Frank picks up bags of clothing and washes and folds them.

He even washes the uniforms of firefighters and first responders, including those staying at the Wyndham Garden.

Signs are posted at the hotel and evacuees can reach out to Sudz's Facebook for some help.

They estimate they have done more than 100 loads of laundry in the first week and will double or triple that this week.

Sudz is also looking for a volunteer to help fold laundry. You can find details here

https://www.facebook.com/Sudz-109728670774770

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