US President Donald Trump on Saturday declared the wildfires raging in California a ‘major disaster’. This means that the US government will come to the aid of the area by making money available for temporary shelter for affected residents, repairs to houses and affected businesses.
The major wildfires have meanwhile killed six people, lost nearly 700 buildings and burned more than 400,000 hectares. Around fourteen thousand firefighters are trying to extinguish the fires.
The fires broke out last week due to a combination of heat, drought and heavy thunderstorms in the area. The most severe thunderstorms in nearly 20 years took place at the start of the forest fire season: some 12,000 lightning bolts were counted in the area.
More than 175,000 people in the area have been called to leave their homes. “We are by no means naive and realize how serious the situation is. It is essential that people follow up and take the evacuation order seriously,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said at a press briefing Friday. On Tuesday he already declared a state of emergency in California.
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