California Wildfire: Dozens Trapped, Governor Declares State of Emergency

By Staff, Agencies

Hundreds of people trapped at a remote campground by a raging California wildfire were airlifted to safety by members of the California National Guard.

Relatively, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in five counties on Sunday due to the ongoing situation.

The counties included Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, San Bernardino and San Diego, the governor's office said in a statement late on Sunday.

Newsom secured a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to bolster the state’s emergency response to the Northern California wildfires. California has also secured Fire Management Assistance Grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to support the state’s response to fires burning in Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Napa, Nevada, Lake, Solano, Yolo and Monterey counties.

The declaration was prompted by the Creek Fire that started on Friday night and rapidly grew to burn some 45,000 acres, forcing evacuations and road closures in the Fresno area in central California.

Eight people have been killed and some 3,300 structures have been destroyed over the past three weeks in wildfires across the state.

Over 200 people were airlifted to safety overnight after a fast-moving wildfire cut off the only road out of the Mammoth Pool Reservoir, a popular recreational site in California’s Sierra National Forest.