By Chibuike Nwabuko
WASHINGTON D.C (PRECISE POST) – United States President, Joe Biden said he has directed the Department of Defence to rapidly provide additional firefighting personnel and capabilities to the region being impacted by the Southern California wildfires
¹.California National Guard and the Nevada National Guard for readying Airborne Firefighting Systems¹.
“We also continue to work closely with the National Guard,” he said. Stressing that ten Navy helicopters with water delivery buckets are on their way.
Precise Post recalls that ABC News earlier reported that Strong Santa Ana winds are fueling multiple wildfires burning across Southern California, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee from their homes.
Firefighters are battling five separate brush fires at once, all of which were at zero containment as of Wednesday afternoon local time.
The Palisades Fire has spread to nearly 16,000 acres, the Easton Fire has charred more than 10,000 acres, the Hurst Fire has impacted more than 500 acres, the Woodley Fire is burning across 30 acres, and the Lidia Fire is scorching across 80 acres, according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
At least 1,000 buildings were destroyed in the Palisades Fire, officials said. Evacuation orders were issued in areas surrounding the brush fires.
At least five people were killed in the fires, with many others sustaining injuries, according to officials. Nearly 1.2 million people were left without power in California, including more than 950,000 across Los Angeles County, as of Wednesday afternoon.
Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said during a press conference that despite prepositioning resources from Northern California, the agencies were “not prepared for this type of widespread disaster.”
President Joe Biden has signed a disaster declaration for California at the request of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who declared a state of emergency on Tuesday night.
