San Diego County's board of supervisors has unanimously approved $15.5 million to consolidate a dozen small firefighting agencies into a single entity responsible for protecting more than a million rural acres.
Local fire chiefs hailed Wednesday's vote as the first step toward creating a countywide fire agency.
San Diego is the most populous county in California without a unified firefighting force. Critics say that leaves the region underprepared to combat wildfires without assistance from other parts of the state.
Volunteer fire companies will begin merging next month.
