President Joe Biden has directed the Department of Defense to dispatch additional firefighting personnel and capabilities to combat the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles County, California.
In a series of posts on social platform X on Wednesday, the White House detailed the steps it's taken to help extinguish the fast-spreading inferno.
According to one post, "two Modular Air Fire Fighting System units are being deployed from each of the California and Nevada National Guards, and ten Navy helicopters with water buckets are en route from San Diego."
Other steps the federal government has taken to support local firefighting efforts include making a number of resources available, including:
- "5 U.S. Forest Service Large Air Tankers operating in Southern California with an additional Tanker en route
- 10 Federal firefighting helicopters performing operations in the area in support of State and local firefighters
- Dozens of fire engines prepositioned by the U.S. Forest Service that are ready to be deployed as needed
- Fire Management Assistance Grants to reimburse the state for firefighting costs that FEMA approved last night"
As of Wednesday, at least four separate fires were burning in the Los Angeles area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena. At least two people have been killed in the blazes, and more than 1,000 structures have been destroyed as residents desperately seek to escape fire-ravaged neighborhoods through wind-whipped columns of flame.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said that in addition to the two deaths, many others have been injured in the inferno, which has threatened at least 28,000 structures.
The Biden-Harris administration has been "in constant communication with California Governor [Gavin] Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor [Karen] Bass, their teams, affected counties, and other local officials to support response efforts for the fires in Southern California," another post in the White House thread said.
According to reports received by the National Weather Service, the flames were being fanned by Santa Ana winds exceeding 60 mph in some places on Tuesday, which had increased to 80 mph by early Wednesday. In mountains and foothills, the winds could exceed 100 mph, including areas that have not seen significant rainfall in months.