Golden State Today

SACRAMENTO – As the state’s largest fire in 2024 continues to grow and threaten communities, Governor Gavin Newsom visited the Incident Command Post established by CAL FIRE for the Park Fire and surveyed ongoing firefighting efforts to protect communities.

Following today’s visit, the Governor announced that the state secured federal assistance for Tehama County to suppress the Park Fire. This is in addition to the federal assistance secured for Butte County.

“This is already one of the biggest fires in California history, and we’re continuing to see dangerous conditions – our firefighters and emergency responders are working day and night to protect our communities. Californians must heed warnings from local authorities and take steps to stay safe,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.

Yesterday, Governor Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency in Butte and Tehama counties due to the Park Fire. The proclamation makes additional resources available for response and recovery efforts, supporting impacted residents by easing access to unemployment benefits and waiving fees to replace driver’s licenses and records such as marriage and birth certificates. It also allows the waiver of certain statutes and regulations so that hospitals, adult and senior care facilities, home care organizations, and other care facilities impacted by the fires can continue to provide services or care for patients or residents displaced from other facilities by the fires.

On Wednesday, the state secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help ensure vital resources are available to suppress the fire burning in Butte County. Already this wildfire season, California has secured FMAGs for the Thompson, French, and Hawarden fires that burned nearly 5,000 acres.

The fast-moving Park Fire near Chico has burned more than 348,000 acres, forcing evacuations of thousands of people. Real-time information, including road closures, evacuation maps, and centers is available at fire.ca.gov.