Newsom And State Fire Officials Address Wildfire Preparedness
Sacramento, CA — Calling it “sobering,” Governor Gavin Newsom spoke yesterday about the large number of wildfires burning in California this year. California has experienced a large number of wildfires this year, with 3,500 wildfires and 128 structures damaged or destroyed. This is about 500 more than at the same time last year, but Gov. Newsom says it is below the five-year average.
“Climate change is real,” Newsom said at a news conference at the CAL Fire McClellan Air Tanker Base on Wednesday. “Those extremes are here, present every day in the great state of California. If you don’t believe in science, you have to believe your own eyes the lived experience all of us have out here in the western United States, for that matter, all around the globe.”
Newsom praised federal support for providing new fire suppression planes and Cal Fire’s use of cameras and artificial intelligence to spot fires and alert first responders. However, the fires are more destructive, burning five times more acreage and 207,000 acres in total. The state is on high alert as lightning is forecast over the Sierra this weekend. Nearly 20 large wildfires are battling, with the largest being the Lake Fire, which has burned 29,000 acres and is only 16% contained.
Newsom pointed out that climate change is partly to blame, stating, “There is nothing typical. Hots are getting a lot hotter. We are seeing unprecedented heat. These heat domes across the United States. Over and over and over and over again.”
California is expanding its aerial firefighting force and leveraging new technologies to support its firefighting capabilities. Click here for a link on disaster readiness.
