Governor Newsom predeploys more firefighting resources, directs aggressive statewide response to fire weather and heat
What you need to know: The state continues to take action to protect communities during extreme heat and fire weather conditions. In just the last 24 hours, CAL FIRE aircraft have flown more than 175 hours combined in an aggressive statewide response to several fires.
SACRAMENTO – At the direction of Governor Gavin Newsom, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) today approved the predeployment of 13 fire engines, seven water tenders and two dispatchers in Sierra, Nevada and Plumas County through Tuesday ahead of expected high temperatures, low humidity and dry lightning. This is on top of resources predeployed earlier this week in response to elevated heat and critical fire weather forecasted to impact Southern California lasting through Sunday.
A total of 64 fire engines, 17 water tenders, nine bulldozers, five helicopters, 10 hand crews, 16 dispatchers, and two Incident Management Teams, are predeployed to 10 counties including Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Sierra, Nevada and Plumas counties. Local fire agencies identify when conditions in their community may require additional resources and submit a request to the state for support. The staging locations and response assignments are coordinated by local officials.
These efforts ensure that resources are ready to respond quickly, minimizing the potential impact of new fires. This proactive approach has proven to be a critical component of California’s wildfire response strategy, reducing response times and containing fires before they escalate into major incidents. The preposition program is in addition to California’s Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System, which remains available for emergency response support throughout the state where resources are needed.
With extreme heat forecasted for much of the state, California entered Phase 2 of its extreme temperature response plan on Wednesday – ramping up state and local coordination of resources to prepare for extreme heat. At the Governor’s direction, the State Operations Center at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) is on an enhanced watch for both heat and fire conditions. Cooling centers to protect vulnerable residents are also open in communities across the state.
I’ve directed the state to mobilize resources to communities to help protect against catastrophic wildfire and potentially record-high temperatures. Please continue to check your local forecast and follow the guidance of local authorities.
Governor Gavin Newsom
Aggressive statewide fire response
Aggressive aerial firefighting operations have helped firefighters with initial attack on several fires in the last few days, including the Pickett Fire in Napa County, the Coyote Fire in El Dorado County and many others across the state. In the past 24 hours, CAL FIRE aircraft have flown more than 175 hours combined, including 19 hours of helicopter night operations. CAL FIRE helicopters have dropped over 380,000 gallons of water and fixed-wing aircraft more than 151,000 gallons of retardant.
Across the state, CAL FIRE reported 23 new wildfires in the last 24 hours, bringing the 2025 year-to-date total to 5,673 fires and 374,023 acres burned, slightly above the five-year average for incidents but below typical acreage totals for this time of year. CAL FIRE remains committed to its goal of containing 95% of wildfires at 10 acres or less and encourages the public to do their part too.
Residents are urged to stay vigilant during this heightened heat and fire weather period. Californians are reminded to:
- Prepare a wildfire action plan, including planning evacuation routes and packing a go-bag with essentials.
- Sign up for local emergency alerts to stay informed about changing conditions.
- Visit CalHeatScore.CalEPA.ca.gov to find heat safety information specific to your area.
- For more information on fire safety and general preparedness, visit Ready.ca.gov.