The West continues to be ravaged by wildfires.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is sending additional firefighting resources to Oregon to help combat the Bootleg Fire, and to offer support for any new fires.
Brian Ferguson, Deputy Director for Crisis Communication & Public Affairs for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services discussed how California is actually not doing too poorly this wildfire season with KCBS Radio’s Holly Quan and Jeff Bell Friday morning.
The Bootleg fire is troubling for multiple reasons, said Ferguson. It’s early in the season, not to mention the sheer size of the fire. "It’s over 225,000 acres," he said. "And there’s months and months to go in our fire season, this fire has already had a significant impact on California."
Bootleg is already threatening California's power grid, and smoke is infiltrating the northern areas of the state, he said.
The Oregon fire is an opportunity for the state to rally around its neighbor. "We understand that fires don’t stop at state lines, neither does the danger," said Ferguson. About 40 fire engines and 100 personnel were sent to aid the effort in Oregon.
In comparison, California’s fires to date have been moderate, Ferguson said. And most of them have been on or around federal lands, leading to additional resources provided by the federal government.
"Most of our state CAL FIRE fleet remains available to respond," he said. Only 12% of the state’s Office of Emergency Services fleet has been deployed.
The hope is that the state can maintain its moderate levels, he said.
