Biden declares state of emergency in California due to fires

SANAA, Sept. 02 (YPA) – US President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in California and ordered federal assistance to bolster local responders’ efforts to fight the Kaldor fire.

The White House said Biden’s action allows disaster relief actions to be coordinated by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The Sierra Nevada mountain range has been on fire since mid-August, and continues to threaten homes and businesses near Lake Tahoe, due to high winds and dry conditions.

Tens of thousands of residents have been forced to flee the fires, most of whom do not know when they can return, or even if they will find their homes intact.

About 15,000 firefighters are working to put out the fires in the state.