California declares state of emergency in Mariposa County due to wildfires

The governor of California, Gavin Newson, has declared this Saturday a state of emergency in Mariposa County, in the central part of the state of California, on the west coast of the United States, due to the effects of wildfires.

Fires in the region Friday have destroyed homes and infrastructure and forced the evacuation of more than 3,000 residents after burning more than 11,500 acres.

Also, the fire has forced road closures “and continues to threaten other critical infrastructure.”

The measure, moreover, has been taken “considering that high temperatures, extreme drought conditions, dry fuels and winds have increased the intensity and spread of the fire.”

The governor’s office has indicated that fire and rescue services are working with state, local and federal agencies to coordinate the response to the fire.

Earlier, the U.S. Forest Service announced an emergency plan to accelerate giant sequoia protection projects in the face of increasing fire danger.

The emergency approval will circumvent years of paperwork to begin as soon as possible with the removal of shrubs and other smaller trees that could fuel the fires that in the past two years have killed 20 percent of America’s giant sequoias. He also plans to use controlled fires to reduce the forest stand.