They were simply going to let part of the town burn.
The locals defied the "order" and ended up saving their and their neighbors homes. They were willing to, and in fact did, risk their lives to save their property and were successful.
This is something beaurocrats and administrators and those the are marshalling sometimes find hard to understand. The King of England also found it hard to understand how indpendent Americans would stand for their own life and liberty.
There are times to follow evacuation orders...there are times people have to decide for themselves to risk what they will to save their own livelihood. When local people, with the same investment and understanding are at the helm, its a whole lot different than when someone like this comes in, pulls rank, and starts throwing their "imagined" weight around.
The people there in Bastrop seem to face such a situation.
Prince John’s minions have made a decision.
AMEN, Jeff! I witnessed the exact same thing in CO.