With the move, more than 2,500 National Guard members are now involved, the governor’s office says.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday evening announced the state will deploy an additional 1,000 National Guard members to deal with wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area for the past week.
With the move, more than 2,500 National Guard members are now involved in the firefighting efforts, his office said. The remainder of the deployment is expected to come on Monday.
“The men and women of the California National Guard have been on the ground since day one—not only fighting fires, but also assisting with public safety efforts in communities devastated by these fires. We thank them for their efforts to keep our communities safe,” Newsom said in a statement.
Officials have confirmed that at least 24 people have died in the Los Angeles area due to the fires, which have scorched entire neighborhoods around the city where there has been no significant rainfall in about eight months.
Twelve people were missing within the Eaton Fire zone, and four were missing from the Palisades Fire, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. Luna added that “dozens” more reports might have come in Sunday morning and that investigators were reconciling whether some of the missing might be among the dead. There are no children among those reported missing, he said.
On Sunday, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued red flag warnings for severe fire conditions through Wednesday, with sustained winds of 50 mph and gusts in the mountains reaching 70 mph. The most dangerous day will be Tuesday, said weather service meteorologist Rich Thompson.
Meanwhile, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) said that more high winds this week are likely to cause more fires, even in areas where fires have seen some containment in recent days.
“What I’m hearing right now is that the winds are potentially getting dangerous and strong again,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
