About 200 firefighters were battling a huge wildfire in Southern California Wednesday as hundreds of forest fires originally ignited by lightning storms over one week ago continue to plague the state's northern areas.
The new blaze in the Santa Ynez Mountains was first reported Tuesday evening on a ridge but the cause was still unknown, said a U.S. Forest Service spokesman.
The fire has prompted a mandatory evacuation in the area and a total of 250 homes and other structures were still threatened, according to local fire officials.
Meanwhile, nearly 20,000 firefighters from across the United States continue to battle the scattered wildfires in Northern California, including one that has destroyed homes and threatened tourist facilities along the Big Sur coast.
With over 160,000 hectares burned, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Tuesday ordered 200 soldiers of the state National Guard be sent to the fire lines by early next week after receiving special training.
It is the first time in three decades that the National Guard troops are deployed to fight fire in the state. However, its aerial fleet, including Black Hawk helicopters, has been fighting the fires for more than a week, Guard officials said.
Schwarzenegger and U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency chief David Paulison planned to visit Big Sur Wednesday for a briefing on firefighting efforts in that hard-hit tourist region.
At the request by Schwarzenegger, President George Bush over the weekend declared the state of emergency in California due to the rampant wildfires, paying the way for federal assistance to the state's firefighting efforts.
About 19,000 firefighters from California and 41 other states have been battling against the wildfires, with the help of more than 1,400 fire engines and scores of aircraft.
Source:Xinhua
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