California Deploys 2,800 Firefighters For Busy Wildfire Season

LOS ANGELES, May 23 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Friday that more than 2,800 firefighting and emergency personnel have been deployed to protect communities across California, as the state faces an early start to a busy wildfire season, Xinhua reported.

"California is deploying all available resources to combat wildfires," the governor said in a press release, urging residents to stay ready, make a plan, and always listen to local officials during an emergency.

To date, more than 28,000 acres (113 square km) have burned statewide, with over 15,000 structures being threatened and about 45,000 people under evacuation orders.

Earlier this week, Newsom secured federal assistance for emergency response efforts to the Sandy Fire in Ventura County and the Bain Fire in Riverside County, according to the press release.

Firefighters are battling at least 10 active wildfires that have burned thousands of acres, triggering evacuation orders and smoke advisories across parts of the state this week.

California has invested billions of dollars in wildfire prevention and forest resilience since 2021, according to Newsom's office.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in a seasonal outlook that abnormally dry conditions are present across the Northern and Eastern Sierra and near the Colorado River, with drought development increasingly likely across parts of Northern California over the next four months.

It added that persistent dryness across much of the Southwest continues to heighten fuel vulnerability. 

-- BERNAMA-XINHUA