Creek Fire evacuees told to pack up and leave Clovis hotel by Red Cross volunteers

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- Robert Diaz has already lost his home due to the Creek Fire, and on Friday, he and many other evacuees were worried they'd be without shelter again.

"If you don't have continuity, you have chaos, and that's exactly what we're going through. We don't have a place to go. We don't," he said.

Diaz has been staying at the La Quinta Inn in Clovis for weeks after being forced to evacuate.

On Friday morning, he was on his way to visit the site where his recently purchased home once stood.

While on the road, he says he got a call from a Red Cross volunteer telling him he needed to return to the hotel, pack up, and leave.

"There were Red Cross people pounding on doors," he said.

Action News reached out to both the hotel and the Red Cross to find out why evacuees were allegedly told to leave.

The manager of the hotel didn't want to go on camera but says a Red Cross volunteer came to the hotel and was under the assumption all guests needed to check out.

When hotel officials attempted to tell the volunteer that wasn't the case, they say "the volunteer took it upon herself to tell each guest to pack up their belongings and leave."

Officials with the Red Cross say they are in the process of relocating people and that "no families are being moved but as we enter the recovery period we are working with each family to develop a plan for their recovery. This could include them going back home if it is safe to do so or possibly relocating to a different hotel".

The hotel manager says the Red Cross did issue an apology for the misunderstanding and they plan to continue to house evacuees.

As for Diaz, he's planning to rebuild once he's able to do so.