California declares statewide emergency due to wildfires

LOS ANGELES - California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency Sunday as extreme weather conditions have resulted in fires and evacuations across the US state.

According to a statement issued by the governor's office, the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County has burned more than 30,000 acres (121.4 square km), leading to the evacuation of almost 200,000 people, while the Tick Fire in Southern California has also destroyed structures, threatened homes and critical infrastructure, and caused the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.

"We are deploying every resource available, and are coordinating with numerous agencies as we continue to respond to these fires. It is critical that people in evacuation zones heed the warnings from officials and first responders, and have the local and state resources they need as we fight these fires," the statement read, adding there are over 3,000 local, state and federal personnel fighting the Kincade Fire alone.

Earlier this week, the statement said, the Golden State secured Fire Management Assistance Grants to help ensure the availability of resources to fight the Kincade and Tick fires and enable local, state and tribal agencies to recover eligible costs.

Driven by powerful winds, more wild fires have been reported across the state.

In northern California, two vegetation fires broke out Sunday morning in Vallejo, shutting down Interstate 80 on the Carquinez Bridge for six hours and forcing the evacuation of California State University Maritime Academy's campus.