As dangerous winds expected in Southern California, state continues augmenting unprecedented resources
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Jan 13, 2025

As dangerous winds expected in Southern California, state continues augmenting unprecedented resources

What you need to know: California doubles down on resource commitment ahead of severe winds across Southern California, augmenting personnel and equipment already responding to fires in the Los Angeles area.

Los Angeles, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced over 300 additional firefighting personnel and 135 additional engines prepositioning in strategic Southern California locations in advance of extreme fire weather expected through Wednesday. These resources add to the already historic response to fight fires in the area, bringing the total to more than 15,000 personnel and a combined 1,900 fire engines, water tenders, aircraft and bulldozers.

Governor Newsom directed additional prepositioning across Southern California over the weekend in anticipation of this next round of severe fire weather, classified by the National Weather Service as a "Particularly Dangerous Situation." Prepositioned assets – including 69 local government engines have been directed to Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. CAL FIRE and federal agencies have pre-staged an additional 70 engines, among other response assets.

We aren't out of the woods yet. As we anticipate severe fire weather in the coming days, we are surging thousands of personnel and equipment to ensure the safety of our communities. Our response efforts continue on the ground during this ever-evolving situation – Southern Californians must stay vigilant and heed orders from local authorities.

Governor Gavin Newsom

According to the National Weather Service, strong, locally damaging winds will affect Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Wednesday. Although these winds will be weaker than those last week, winds will be strong enough to potentially cause explosive fire growth. Since October, the National Weather Service has issued four "Particularly Dangerous Situation" fire weather warnings. The first preceded the Mountain Fire (Ventura County), which destroyed 243 structures. The second preceded the Franklin Fire in Malibu, which destroyed 20 structures. The third preceded the Palisades and Eaton Fires among others, in which thousands of homes have been destroyed as more than 15,000 personnel continue to battle those blazes. The fourth begins today.

State's all-in response

For seven days now, California has deployed thousands of personnel including firefighters, Cal Guard service members, highway patrol officers and transportation teams, and pieces of firefighting equipment to support the ongoing firefight.

These response efforts include more than 1,900 pieces of firefighting apparatus, including 1,460+ engines, 80+ aircraft, 175+ dozers and 170+ water tenders to aid in putting out the fires.

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Over the past week, Governor Newsom has proclaimed a state of emergency and issued four executive orders to support communities affected by the ongoing fires, and President Biden quickly approved Governor Newsom's request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to support ongoing response efforts. The state also received continued federal assistance to combat the Hurst, Eaton, and Palisades Fires.

Californians must stay prepared
  • Create a plan to protect your people: Follow the guidance of local authorities, learn quick exits from your community, and be ready to go to your safe place.
  • Pack a go bag: Put together important documents, wallet, phone, medicine and grab a portable radio and flashlight if you need to leave quickly.
  • Help friends and neighbors: Check on your most vulnerable neighbors and ensure they are prepared to evacuate.
  • Get emergency alerts: Sign up for local alerts to know if you need to evacuate – go to ca.gov/LAFires

Get help today

Californians can go to CA.gov/LAfires – a hub for information and resources from state, local and federal government.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses from wildfires in Los Angeles County can apply for disaster assistance:
  • Online at DisasterAssistance.gov
  • By calling 800-621-3362
  • By using the FEMA smart phone application
  • Assistance is available in over 40 languages
  • If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service.

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