SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A calm overnight allowed firefighters to make progress against a trio of massive fires burning in Northern California.
But they are girding for the arrival of a weather system Sunday that will bring high winds and thunderstorms that could spark new fires and fan existing blazes that already destroyed nearly 1,000 homes and other structures and forced tens of thousands to evacuate.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump said he approved a major disaster declaration for California on Saturday after speaking to California Governor Gavin Newsom.
"We're working very closely with the governor and very closely with a lot of great state representatives and local representatives. And we'll take care of the situation," Trump said on Sunday.
Trump added that the federal government had already deployed over 26,001 first responders, and personnel to battle the wildfires.
The fires surrounding the San Francisco Bay Area were started by lightning strikes that were among 12,000 registered in the state in the past week.
The National Weather Service issued a “red flag” warning for the area through Monday afternoon, meaning extreme fire conditions exist.
