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Newsom Declares Statewide Emergency Due to Fires, Extreme Weather
Arcadia Weekly Aug 19, 2020
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Plane drops fire retardant to battle the Ranch 2 Fire in the Angeles National Forest near Azusa. – Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News
Governor Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency Tuesday to help ensure the availability of resources to combat fires burning across the state, which have been exacerbated by the effects a current heat wave and sustained high winds. More than 300,000 acres have burned across the state, Cal Fire spokesman Jeremy Rahn said Wednesday.
“We are deploying every resource available to keep communities safe as California battles fires across the state during these extreme conditions,” said Newsom. “California and its federal and local partners are working in lockstep to meet the challenge and remain vigilant in the face of continued dangerous weather conditions.”
The governor earlier this week secured Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to bolster the state’s response to fires burning in Napa, Nevada and Monterey counties and signed an emergency proclamation and executive order to address impacts of the ongoing heat wave.
Battling hundreds of fires across the state, according to Rahn, some sparked by lightning, Cal Fire has requested 375 fire engines from out of state to help battle the flames.
