In Sacramento this morning, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Kern County. The Tehachapi fire, also known as the west fire, has been contained 25 percent. The Bull Fire is only 5 percent contained. Firefighters and containment finally are being used by cash-strapped California through this state of emergency.
Info on the Tehachapi fire
Tuesday was when the Tehachapi fire started around a small community which is only 10 miles south of Tehachapi. Old West Ranch residents had to leave after the fire started. The fire has been officially named the West Fire, after the ranch that was split up to form the community. The fire started with individuals who were cutting scrap metal with a grinder in dry grass. 40 homes and 1,400 acres were burned. 150 other homes are in urgent danger.
Bull Fire background
The Bull Fire, centered north of Kernville, Calif., is presently burning almost 16,000 acres. When the fire started, it quickly burned eight homes and six outbuildings down. The fire has hurt two firefighters so far. The reason for the Bull Fire has yet to be determined, and it is only about 5 percent contained.
Paying for a wildfire
In budget-strapped California, fighting wildfire is an incredibly costly proposition. Not only the human cost of possible firefighter deaths, but the financial cost. Fighting a big fire can cost anywhere from $1 million to $2.5 million a day. An “average” wildfire fighting year for the U.S. Forest Service costs $500 million or more. The cost of fighting wildfires in California falls to several agencies. The majority of the cost is carried by the California state budget. Nothing is covered on this except the actual containment of the fire. Because there is a State of Emergency, the money gets spent although nobody knows where it is coming from yet.
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