Dimmit County’s fire chief was arrested at an oil well fire for interfering after he allegedly called for a mutual aid company to go home.
According to television station KENS5, Fire Chief Alonso Carmona responded to the fire with his crew at about 11:30 pm on Wednesday.
When he and his crews arrived at the fire off Highway 85, they realized the fire was large enough to warrant extra help, according to News4SA. Carmona asked for help from the Dilley Fire Department, which was not the closest fire department.
Instead, the Dimmit County Sheriff’s Office dispatched the Carrizo Springs Fire Department, which was closer, News4SA reported.
When the Carrizo Springs crew arrived, the fire chief said they did not have the capabilities to fight the fire and allegedly tried to get them to leave the scene, according to KENS5.
It was then that the Dimmit County sheriff deputies arrested the chief for interfering, the news agencies reported.
News4SA reported the sheriff’s office said the fire chief, who is also a county commissioner, has had previous conflicts with the Carrizo Springs Fire Department.
