Uniformed militia members offering help to Oak fire victims sparks furor near Yosemite
MARIPOSA, Calif. — Nearly 3,000 firefighters and first responders have flooded the Sierra foothills of Mariposa County battling the explosive Oak fire, but it’s the guys in camouflage fatigues and surplus war vehicles that have most alarmed some evacuees and monitors of extremist groups.
As fire crews made headway Tuesday against a blaze that has roared through 18,000 acres, destroyed 25 homes and forced thousands to flee their homes, the presence of a self-described militia whose members handed out food and offered help to evacuees has raised concerns among some.
Calling itself the Echo Company of the California State Militia’s 2nd Regiment, the group had set up a field kitchen off Highway 140 recently and
