Reuters reported that more than 6,800 large and small forest fires have burned an area of about 689,000 hectares in California alone this season, leaving firefighters struggling to fight them.
The fires were fueled by extremely dry and hot conditions which experts say are the aftermath of climate change this summer creating one of the most devastating fires in history.
According to a statement from the White House late on September 12: " President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster ahead in California and called for federal assistance in state and local recovery efforts - in areas affected by the Caldor fire that broke out on August 14, 2021 and continues.'
Last week, Mr. Biden said that forest fires, storms and floods are hitting all over the United States, with more than 100 million Americans affected this summer alone. The president is pushing for investments to boost infrastructure and combat global warming.
Mr. Biden has made combating climate change an important plan in his 2020 presidential campaign and a top priority in his administration. However, some of his targets are waiting for the US Congress to pass a multibillion-dollar law on infrastructure and other priorities.
In September, President Biden declared a state of emergency in California and asked the federal government for assistance to promote efforts to control the Caldor fire.
"There will be additional designations for support after receiving proposals from the state and based on the results of damage assessments," the White House said in a statement on September 12.
According to local authorities, California's largest Caldor fire broke out in mid-August and is now 65 percent under control. Caldor injured five people and damaged 81 residential areas, businesses and other architectural works, while destroying more than 1,000 of them.
According to the forecast of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention ( Cal Fire) on September 12, for most of the next week, southwest winds could blow up fires in the western area.
