SACRAMENTO:- At the direction of Governor Gavin Newsom, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) today approved the predeployment of firefighting resources in Los Angeles County in response to elevated heat and critical fire weather conditions forecasted to impact Southern California starting this Wednesday and lasting through Saturday.
According to the National Weather Service, a heat event is forecast to start Wednesday and last through the weekend “with a high risk for heat illness and fire danger.” California’s new CalHeatScore tool shows much of the state reaching high and severe levels of extreme heat late this week.
A total of 10 fire engines, 2 water tenders, 2 bulldozers, 1 helicopter, 2 hand crews, 3 dispatchers and 1 Incident Management Team are pre-deployed in Los Angeles County. 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.
“California is taking proactive steps to get ahead of upcoming fire weather,” said Cal OES Director Nancy Ward. “By prepositioning firefighting crews, equipment, and other resources in high-risk areas, we can respond faster and more effectively when needed. This strategy is about protecting lives, property, and communities by ensuring help is ready when it’s needed most.”
In addition to resources pre-deployed by Cal OES, CAL FIRE remains ready to respond to new incidents statewide.
“CAL FIRE remains fully staffed and prepared across the state as we anticipate increased temperatures. Our dedicated team is committed to safeguarding communities and minimizing wildfire risk,” said CAL FIRE Chief Joe Tyler.