California fires stretch resources

ALTURAS, Calif. – More than a dozen wildfires in California, some of which destroyed homes, forced evacuations and damaged infrastructure, prompted Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency Saturday.

Dry lightning, high temperatures and severe drought conditions exacerbated the fire danger in California.

Brown’s emergency proclamation said that the circumstances and magnitude of the wildfires are beyond the control of any single local government and will require the combined forces of regions to combat. To that end, he secured a federal grant Saturday to cover 75 percent of the cost to fight a wildfire that started in Oregon and crossed into California.

In California, the scope and intensity of the blazes was comparable to the fire activity the state normally sees in September, said Dennis Mathisen, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman.

The fires were burning as far south as the Sierra National Forest, about 70 miles from where another blaze sparked evacuations in and around Yosemite National Park earlier in the week.