In the last 24 hours, firefighters have responded to an estimated 330 fires across California, Governor Gavin Newsom stated in a press conference Monday afternoon. The update comes as the Kincade Fire, which sparked northeast of Geyserville on October 23, continues to burn across Northern California. At the time of Newsom's press conference, the fire had burned more than 66,000 acres, and was 5% contained.
Despite the high figures, Newsom says this fire season is not worse than in recent years, "though it may feel like it."
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"We're entering the peak part of fire season that is very familiar to us in California, but not people out of state," Newsom said. "Most people think about fire season as part of the [summer] ... I'll remind folks the Camp Fire and Woolsey Fire, in Northern and Southern California, occurred in the first week of November, so we are very vigilant in this moment. The winds are vexing and are the most [complex] part of this fire. But the good news is the winds are resting."
More than 10,000 "state, local and government personnel" are working across the state to fight both the Kincade Fire and the new Getty Fire in Southern California, says Mark Ghilarducci, director of California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES).
"We are leaning as forward as we possibly can to address items," he said in the press conference. "Like the pre-positioning, we're really looking at strategically what is happening, what are the conditions, how is the weather changing, and are making decisions based on weather and forecasting. It's a different way of doing business than in the past. This isn't reactive, this is proactive ... We're leaning forward in as many places as we can to keep theses fires small."
According to emergency fire radio communications Sunday, some of these small fires may have been limited to a single tree ablaze, but were nevertheless swiftly extinguished.
Ghilarducci also advised Californians to be "cognizant and prepared" in watching these fires as they move across the state.
"This is a partnership, it's not just a government responsibility," he said. "It's important for the public to be aware ... Listen to warnings and alerts if you're in an area where you're told to evacuate, do not wait, evacuate. If something gets lost it can be rebuilt, but your lives cannot."
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