When the militia arrived in the small Sierra foothills town of Mariposa, California, to assist with evacuation efforts amid a fast-spreading wildfire, not all residents were pleased by the appearance of ordinary citizens dressed in military fatigues. 

Over the weekend, about 150 California State Militia 2nd Regiment members, including 20 local ones and others from surrounding counties, assisted with evacuations efforts. The group also fed dozens of displaced households. 

"We're part of the community.

"We're watching our own community burn down, and even though a lot of the members that came to help, they're spread out, we're all part of the same unit, and this is what we do," militia member Daniel Latner, who lives in Mariposa County, told The Mercury News.

As of Tuesday, the wildfire, dubbed "Oak Fire," burned 18,000 acres across Mariposa County and was only 26% contained. 

Even as Oak Fire inched closer to the town of Mariposa, destroying 55 homes and other structures, some residents weren't appreciative of militia support. 

"The last thing I'm going to do is take a free tri-tip sandwich from a right-wing extremist group," said one resident, who asked not to be named because she feared provoking "armed and dangerous" people.

"We're very angry that they would choose to come in at a time of real gravity to try to turn this into a political move," said the woman, who works remotely and accused the group of "trying to recruit people in a disaster."