California growers refuse to abandon pot crop to flames

Farmers refuse to evacuate in spite of fire

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - Some northern California marijuana growers refuse to leave their crops even in the face of an approaching wildfire.

The Trinity County Sheriff's Department says as many as 1,000 local farmers are ignoring evacuation orders.

The August Complex is burning near the small communities of Post Mountain and Trinity Pines. They're about 200 miles northwest of Sacramento.

Sheriff's deputies went door to door warning people about the approaching fire, but could not force residents to evacuate

"It's mainly growers," Trujillo says. "And a lot of them, they don't want to leave because that is their livelihood."

The fire is burning near Northern California's Emerald Triangle. It's estimated to be the nation's largest cannabis-producing region. One estimate puts the value of the area's legal marijuana crop at about $20 million.