The U.S. Forest Service has temporarily closed all 18 national forests in California due to “unprecedented” fire conditions throughout the state.
“The number of large fires and extreme fire behavior we are seeing across the state is historic," said Regional Forester Randy Moore. "These temporary closures are necessary to protect the public and our firefighters, and we will keep them in place until conditions improve and we are confident that national forest visitors can recreate safely.”
On Wednesday, the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region announced the closures of an additional 10 national forests starting at 5 p.m.
The agency originally closed eight national forests on Monday night, but said the explosive growth of fires seen in the state on Tuesday led to the decision to shutdown the rest.
The additional closures include the Eldorado National Forest, Klamath National Forest, Lassen National Forest, Mendocino National Forest, Modoc National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest, Plumas National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Tahoe National Forest and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.
The Forest Service stressed the critical nature of the closures, which will be re-evaluated daily, and is asking all Californians and visitors follow them.
Governor Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that there are now 28 major wildfires burning in California.
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