NU Online News Service, Aug. 28, 2:54 p.m. EDT

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today proclaimed a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Monterey Counties, due to wildfires that started on Aug. 26 and have burned about 13,000 acres to date.

The fires have threatened structures, destroyed homes and forced hundreds of people to be evacuated to emergency shelters, according to the governor's press office.

In May, the governor issued Executive Order S-05-09, authorizing the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as CAL FIRE, to immediately mobilize more personnel and equipment to keep the region safe.

As part of the Executive Order, the governor directed state agencies--including the California Emergency Management Agency, California National Guard, California Conservation Corps, and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation--to coordinate their actions with federal and local agencies, prepositioning resources and maximizing California's fire prevention and fighting capabilities.

The circumstances of the fires, by reason of their magnitude, "are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of any single county, city and county, or city, and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat," Gov. Schwarzenegger said in the Executive Order.

He also ordered CAL FIRE to secure and deploy additional resources as determined by the director, to protect people and property from wildfires during periods of elevated fire risk, as follows:

o Staff additional fire crews, fire engines, helicopter fire-fighting crews, fire bulldozers, equipment and other aviation resources as warranted based on fire threat conditions.

o Assign a crew of four firefighters to CAL FIRE fire engines as warranted, based on fire threat conditions.

o Assign additional resources in the CAL FIRE Contract Counties as warranted based on fire threat conditions.

o Coordinate with the California Emergency Management Agency (also known as CAL EMA) and the California National Guard for those military resources that may be available for assistance during emergencies in California.

o Assign additional fire safety inspectors where and when beneficial to reduce fire risk, assist with fire hazard reduction, conduct defensible space inspections, and promote fire safe practices, public education and prevention programs.

o Provide for supplemental detection, including staffing for fire lookouts, during peak fire conditions.

o Increase staffing for command and control functions at CAL FIRE Unit Emergency Command Centers, Northern and Southern Operations Centers, and the CAL FIRE Sacramento Coordination Center when necessary to respond to significant fire events.

o Assign additional staff as necessary to provide emergency incident support and burn area emergency assessment and response activities.

Gov. Schwarzenegger ordered CAL EMA to assist local communities to help ensure that federal hazard mitigation grants are focused on the areas of greatest vulnerability in the Wildland Urban Interface in California.

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Calif. Wildfires Prompt &#039;State Of Emergency&#039;

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