California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday ordered more California National Guard troops to help combat Northern California wildfires
Under Schwarzenegger's order, an additional 200 soldiers from the California National Guard were dispatched to reinforce firefighters battling hundreds of flames in Northern California.
This group of soldiers is in addition to the 200 troops the governor ordered to duty as ground firefighters earlier this week.
National Guard aviators have been flying fire suppression missions since the start of this fire emergency.
"I have ordered additional California National Guard soldiers to provide direct ground support to our firefighters in their efforts," said Schwarzenegger. "These additional soldiers will bring much needed assistance to the efforts of the firefighters who continue to tirelessly battle the blazes across California."
The state of California and the California National Guard retain robust capability to respond to other contingencies should the need arise, the governor said.
A total of 367 wildfires were burning Thursday across the state, most ignited by lightning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the U.S. Forest Service. That figure was down from a peak of roughly 1,500 fires just a few days ago.
Source: Xinhua
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