VIDEO: State Law Enforcement Officers Warn Silver Fire Victims of Insurance Scams

More than a dozen state law enforcement officers with the Department of Insurance Fraud Division fanned out Tuesday in Twin Pines and Poppet Flats to warn Silver Fire victims of scam artists who prey on disaster survivors.

The fire broke out Aug. 7 near Poppet Flats, destroyed 48 structures including 26 homes, scorched more than 31 square miles, severely burned one civilian and resulted in 12 firefighter injuries.

Evacuations were lifted over the weekend and some residents have returned to find their neighbors' homes leveled, or damage to their own homes and properties, in the midst of blackened moonscape.

"We're out here trying to protect consumers from getting ripped off a second time," Detective Sgt. Greg Huff of the Fraud Division said before noon Aug. 13 in Poppet Flats. "If they got damage from fires, they're being victimized then, and we don't them to become victimized again.

"That is, by unscrupulous contractors, unscrupulous public adjusters who are taking advantage of the situation, taking advantage of people in their state of mind when they're kind of down and out, dealing with an emotional fire loss," Huff said.

"Then they get approached by contractors or public adjusters that promise them lots of stuff, promise them they can get lots of money from an insurance company, or give them cheap rates to repair things," Huff said. "And they think they're going to make out, and they aren't researching it due to their state of mind."

In Twin Pines, state law enforcement spoke to residents including John and Betty West, who have lived in the area 25 years. Their home survived the October 2006 Esperanza Fire and it still stands after the Silver Fire.

"They just told us to be alert," John West said. "If anybody called us representing themselves as anybody at all, not to pay too much attention to them, over the phone. People pretending to be contractors and so on, don't give them a whole lot of lead."

In Poppet Flats, fraud division officers visited with Ron Wielin, who evacuated Aug. 7 with his wife and daughter before any announcements were made in his neighborhood. The Wielin family's home survived but some outbuildings burned and Ron Wielin estimated he lost $50,000 in property.

"When these disasters happen, that is when these unscrupulous people come out of the woodwork and prey on people in their state of mind," Huff said.

Estimated costs of fighting the fire and dealing with its aftermath reached $9.99 million Monday, according to incident commanders. An emergency $1.2 million contract is in place to repair guardrail, signs and markers on Highway 243, according to Caltrans. The cause of the fire remained under investigation, according to Cal Fire.

More on the Silver Fire from Banning-Beaumont Patch:

Silver Fire Aftermath: Highway 243 Expected to Open This Weekend
SILVER FIRE UPDATE: Demobilization Begins as Costs Rise to More than $8.8 Million
SILVER FIRE UPDATE: Burn Area is 19,000 Acres, 70 Percent Contained, 11 Injured

Updated Interactive Map of Silver Fire Burn Area by Esri of Redlands

SILVER FIRE HELP: Victim Resources for Debris Clean-Up, Assistance Contacts

SILVER FIRE RECOVERY: In Devastated Poppet Flats Neighborhood, Pig Survives Blaze and Neighbors Pull Together

SILVER FIRE: How You Can Help Fire Victims With Clothing, Monetary Donations

SILVER FIRE UPDATE: Evacs Lifted in Some Communities, Fire Estimated at 17,500 Acres

SILVER FIRE BURN VICTIM: Man Was Found on Old Banning-Idyllwild Road

SILVER FIRE VIDEO: Poppet Flats Resident Returns to Home Burned to Ground

SILVER FIRE MAP: Interactive Public Info by Esri of Redlands

VIDEO: As Silver Fire Advances Evacuee Says 'We Decided to Leave on Our Own'

Inside the Silver Fire: Photos From Evacuated Areas in San Jacinto Mountains

Beaumont Unified School District Employee Loses Everything in Silver Fire

Silver Fire Evacuation Center, Fire Camp Set Up in Beaumont

Video, Pics: Silver Fire South of Banning

SILVER FIRE UPDATE: 26 Homes Destroyed, 6 Injuries to Date