States of emergency have been issued, as 12 fires burn across California. Gov. Gavin Newsom has requested a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to support wildfire response and recovery efforts in Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity Counties, where seven fires have burned more than 568,000 acres.
El Dorado County's Caldor Fire is one of the seven fires threatening the northern portion of the state and has now become the number one wildfire priority in both California and the United States, according to Cal Fire Director Thom Porter.
"This is a marathon... today we are almost three times the number of acres burned in California than over our five-year average," Porter said in a Monday press conference. "A lot of acres are burning. Fires are burning in ways that no one has seen before. I know I keep saying that...but it's absolutely true."
In an update on Aug. 23, 2021, Cal OES shared this image of wildfires burning across the state. Of the 12 currently burning, the Caldor Fire in El Dorado County has been deemed the number one priority in both California and the United States.Cal OES
While firefighters do not believe the Caldor Fire will make it to the Lake Tahoe Basin, they are moving forward as though it might, according to Porter. He added that mother nature has shown before that fires will do things never thought possible.
Tony Scardina, a deputy regional forester with the U.S. Forest Service, echoed Porter's grim updates. He said that the state's current level five preparedness was triggered on July 14 -- for just the third time in 20 years, "if that's any indication of how things are going."
As a result of the fires, the USFS decided last night to close nine national forests in Northern California. Those include the Klamath, Lake Tahoe Basin, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta-Trinity, Six Rivers and Tahoe national forests.
"When you look at conditions and strained resources...we want to keep people out of the way," Scardina said, using the entrapment of hikers and backpackers during the 2020 Creek Fire as an example. "When we have to save people we have to detract from the firefight."
In Monday's update, the ray of hope is in the weather. Porter shared the good news that as the southern part of the state shows a low to moderate risk of new fires for the next week, firefighting teams will be able to either rest or shift north to assist efforts there.
More than 23,000 fire personnel have been deployed across the country, in addition to the 13,000 currently assisting the fight in California, Scardina said.
Statewide emergencies have already been issued in Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Napa, Nevada, Lake, Solano, Yolo and Monterey Counties. If you've been affected by wildfires and require assistance, click here.
