State of emergency was announced in Sacrament this morning on Kern County by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Tehachapi fire, also known as the west fire, has been contained 25 percent. The Bull Fire is only 5 percent contained. Because there is a State of Emergency, cash-strapped California can be able to pay for firefighters and containment of these fires. Source for this article – West Fire, Tehachapi Fire and others spur state of emergency.

Tehachapi fire details

10 miles south of Tehachapi lies a small town where the Tehachapi fire started on Tuesday. Old West Ranch residents had to leave following the fire began. The fire has been officially named the West Fire, after the ranch that was split up to form the community. Residents who were cutting scrap metal with a grinder in dry grass started the fire. At least 40 homes are burned, and about 1,400 acres are scorched. Approximately 150 other homes are confronted.

Information on the Bull Fire

The Bull Fire, centered north of Kernville, Calif., is currently burning almost 16,000 acres. Eight homes and six outbuilding were burnt down totally within the first day. 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.

The cost of fighting wildfires

In budget-strapped California, fighting wildfire is an incredibly costly proposition. The human cost and financial cost is too much for California right now. Fighting a big fire can cost anywhere from $1 million to $2.5 million a day. More than $500 million is spent on an “average” wildfire fighting year. The cost of fighting wildfires in California falls to a number of agencies. The California State Spending budget does most of it. This covers fire fighting and nothing else. Being in a State of Emergency means being able to spend money without knowing where they’re spending it from.

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