SACRAMENTO – At the direction of Governor Gavin Newsom, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and CAL FIRE continue to preposition resources and respond aggressively to new fires. Cal OES predeployed firefighting resources and personnel to 12 counties in anticipation of critical fire weather that started last Wednesday and will continue to persist through today. Since August 22 there have been over 74,000 lighting strikes in the state of California with over 33,000 strikes happening just in the last 24 hours.

National Weather Service forecasts critical fire weather for Tuesday and Wednesday due to abundant lightning and gusty winds that  increased fire spread. This will affect the Inland Region, including Sacramento Valley and mountain ranges. In addition, portions of the Southern and Inland regions of the state may be under a flood watch due to threats of heavy rainfall.

Despite extreme heat, widespread Red Flag Warnings, and thousands of lightning strikes recorded across the state, California kept numerous new wildfires small and manageable, with most being quickly extinguished within the first 24 hours. The state has deployed 2,700+ personnel, 14 helicopters, 248 engines, 75 dozers and 29 water tenders to the Pickett Fire in Napa County – helping stop its forward growth and ramp up containment.

For more than one week, high temperatures, low humidity and dry lightning were present throughout the state. California took action by predeploying available resources to communities that could be impacted by severe fire weather.

 (Photo Source：The Governor Office Newsroom)