Minimal Impact Of 2022 Wildfires Touted By Governor, Cal Fire

NAPA, CA — California Gov. Gavin Newsom was in Napa County Thursday with elected officials and representatives from Cal Fire to give an overview of the state's fire response and mitigation efforts for 2022 and to thank the men and women from agencies that battle wildfires.

Though fire basics such as budget numbers and acres burned were discussed, the event was a chance for the governor to highlight his office's $2.8 billion dollar investment in fire response and to receive kudos from those impacted by the infusion of money.

"Here we are at the end of peak fire season," Newsom said. "Not the end of fire season, as we have all acknowledged the fire season now is year-round."

Newsom announced a memorandum of understanding with the federal government that outlines a 20-year agreement in terms of active forest management and other focused fire abatement efforts.

The event began with Napa Mayor Scott Sedgely at the outdoor dais, with a Fire Hawk chopper in the background. Sedgely said that ten of the largest wildfires in the state have occurred over the last decade, with eight of them occurring in the last five years.

"That's an unbelievable statistic," he said, adding that he was thankful that 2022 had not brought any devastating fires similar to that of 2020's LNU Complex Fire, which was caused by lightning and arson and burned 363,220 acres over six counties including Napa. Evacuations from that fire caused wineries to shut down at crucial harvest time.

"I attribute that success to the key investments of Governor Newsom and, of course, the hard work of our firefighters... Climate change is real. We will stay vigilant on all fronts."

Overall, according to officials, though the amount of fires in the North Bay has remained consistent, their effects have been greatly mitigated.

"The acreage burn has been reduced significantly," said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the governor's Office of Emergency Services. "[It went] from an average of over 200,000 acres per year over the past six years to just over 1800 acres this year, with the largest being the roughly 600 acre Old Fire this past June."

The Old Fire began on May 31 and burned 370 acres in Napa County. Ghilarducci credited additional helicopters made possible by Newsom's investments in fire abatement as well as funding for fuel modification and fuel reduction work, meaning making the area less fire prone.

"As we saw in the Old Fire, a fuel modification project that was completed by Cal Fire and the Napa County Fire Department and the Napa Communities Firewise Foundation only a few months prior on Soda Canyon Road near where the Old Fire burned was crucial in the successful containment of that fire with no loss of homes or infrastructure," said Ghilarducci.

Cal Fire Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler gave an overview of his agency's successes. Tyler claimed that 151 arson arrests have been made this year and that since 2019, fuels reduction and vegetation management has prepped 100,000 acres per year. He also praised the governor for funding the acquisition of more effective helicopters that hold more water and aircraft able to fly night missions.

Newsom closed the press conference by saying that his administration's approach to fires has been a "flywheel."

"Even through the difficult year two years ago, even last year, the investments, the seeds were planted, the investments that were being made, they're starting to now bear some fruit."

The governor praised firefighters and first responders for the multiple skills necessary to do their jobs.

"I began with gratitude for all the folks out there that wear a number of different uniforms," he said. "Sometimes they're out there holding the line. So many times they're out there literally drawing and building new lines up and down the state. And so these guys are Swiss Army knives at the end of the day, doing... a lot more than what they anticipated at the academy."

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