– Costs soar, air quality drops –
Berlant said that CAL FIRE has so far spent more than $212 million, just since July 1, to fight fires under its jurisdiction and that approximately 5,000 firefighters were currently assigned to major blazes.
The costs of containing other fires, such as those ablaze in Sierra Nevada forests, are largely covered by federal agencies and not included in those figures.
The US Forest Service has spent an additional $1.31 billion battling fires and says it is approaching its record, from 2002, of $1.65 billion.
Brown’s state of emergency will release additional funds to cover the costs of the firefighting efforts.
National Guard troops have also been called in to help.
After a briefing on the Butte blaze, the governor’s emergency services chief said this summer’s fires were the most volatile he had ever seen.
“The fires are spreading faster than I have seen in my 30 years,” Mark Ghilarducci was quoted as saying by the Sacramento Bee newspaper.
Meanwhile, the state’s air quality has also taken a hit from the fires.
“As a result of the Valley Fire, combined with the drought conditions and other wildfires burning in the state, California’s air quality has significantly deteriorated,” the governor said in his emergency declaration.
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