The Caldor fire is blazing through California, growing to encompass more than 65,000 acres and forcing thousands of California residents to evacuate to safety.
The 65,474-acre fire, which was first reported on Saturday evening, has forced 35,528 Californians to evacuate, a drastic increase from the 21,191 residents evacuated as of Tuesday, according to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Service.
CALIFORNIA’S SCORCHED EARTH: MORE THAN 1 MILLION ACRES BURNED
With two injured so far, the Caldor fire remains 0% contained, with the expected containment set for Aug. 31. The cause of the fire is currently unknown and is under investigation, according to CAL Fire.
In response to the fire, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency for El Dorado County on Tuesday, when the then-roughly-6,000-acre fire had forced 6,850 county residents to evacuate their homes.
The governor also discussed the state and federal wildfire recovery efforts underway at Big Basin Redwoods State Park with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan.
“We have a deep responsibility to support our communities recovering from wildfires, and that commitment doesn’t end when the world’s attention has moved on,” the governor said in his Tuesday statement following the meeting. “The state will continue to work with federal partners to ensure our resilient communities have the help they need to get back on their feet and rebuild.”
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Over the last month, officials in California have battled massive wildfires. Last week, the Dixie fire became the second-largest wildfire in the state’s history, scorching almost 500,000 acres since its introduction in mid-July.
