California is mobilizing additional resources to combat the ongoing fires in Los Angeles, Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday. The state will deploy up to 140 water tanker trucks, each with a capacity of 2,500 gallons, to aid in fighting the Eaton and Palisades fires.
Some of these trucks, ordered by CAL FIRE, were already en route to fire incident command posts late Wednesday. More are expected to be deployed throughout the night. These new additions join 23 water tenders already on site and a team of over 7,500 firefighting and emergency personnel.
Governor Newsom emphasized the importance of this effort: “California is mobilizing additional water tenders to support the ongoing battle against these unprecedented Los Angeles fires. We’re working closely with our local and federal partners to identify and fill gaps in real-time. Our number one priority is protecting Californians — this additional water transport is critical in our fight.”
The state began monitoring this weather event closely over the weekend and started prepositioning resources on Sunday. The Governor has maintained communication with local, state, and federal officials, including President Biden, ensuring an aggressive response to current fires while preparing for potential future incidents.
In addition, Governor Newsom secured a Major Disaster Declaration from President Biden earlier today to bolster ongoing response efforts.
For more information on the Los Angeles fires as they develop, visit fire.ca.gov.
