Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Public Safety

Brown Declares State Of Emergency For California Wildfires

Gov. Jerry Brown, center, answers a question concerning the executive order he signed requiring the state water board to implement measures in cities and towns to cut water usage by 25 percent compared with 2013 levels, at Echo Summit, Calif., April 1, 2015.
Associated Press / Rich Pedroncelli
Gov. Jerry Brown, center, answers a question concerning the executive order he signed requiring the state water board to implement measures in cities and towns to cut water usage by 25 percent compared with 2013 levels, at Echo Summit, Calif., April 1, 2015.

Gov. Jerry Brown is declaring a state of emergency throughout California as wildfires rage in the parched state.

Brown says in a declaration issued Friday that the severe drought and extreme weather "have turned much of the state into a tinderbox."

Brown's order requires all state agencies to provide assistance if needed to respond to the fires and mobilizes the California National Guard to help with disaster response.

Advertisement

Eighteen large fires are burning across 15 counties, mostly in the northern half of the state.

A handful of homes have been consumed by the flames and hundreds of people chased from their houses. Thousands of firefighters are fighting the blazes.

The governor already requested federal assistance for two of the largest fires.

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.