A state of emergency has been declared in Lake County, California where the Pawnee wildfire continues to grow. California governor Jerry Brown took the action as 8,200 acres (33 sq km) have already burned and 600 structures remain threatened by the fire’s path.
The Lake County sheriff’s office issued mandatory evacuations on June 23.
Lake County borders Napa and Sonoma counties which were damaged by huge fires in October 2017. Firefighting crews from the San Francisco Bay area joined the effort to contain the wildfire yesterday morning.
The Pawnee fire is one of five active fires in Northern California, where the summer’s dry weather and high winds contribute to wildfire fuel. Brown’s declaration consolidates disaster response efforts across multiple fire departments. California is still working to centralize its emergency response to disasters following a particularly destructive series of wildfires in 2017.