Pres. Trump Declares State of Emergency as Calif. Wildfires Continue to Spread

A helicopter drops water over a wildfire Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017, in Bonsall, Calif. The wind-swept blazes have forced tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes in Southern California. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

OAN Newsroom

President Trump declares a state of emergency in southern California as wildfires continue to spread.
The declaration opens up federal assistance to supplement fire crews from across the western U.S. battling a series of mostly uncontained fires.
Cal Fire says over 8,000 firefighters have descended on the region with nearly 160,000 acres burned.

Firefighter Mike Warren, part of a Portland, Ore., crew, battling the Thomas fire, stages in Ojai, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017. The biggest and most destructive of the windblown fires raking Southern California shut down one of the region’s busiest freeways Thursday and threatened Ojai, a scenic mountain town dubbed “Shangri-La” and known for its boutique hotels and New Age spiritual retreats.(AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Dry winds are expected to fuel the flames through the weekend, prompting officials to issue their first ever “Purple Warning,” the highest possible warning for wildfires.
California Governor Jerry Brown has also declared a state of emergency for affected regions, while schools across 16 districts have been forced to close.