Cal Fire’s total base wildfire protection budget has nearly tripled over the past 10 years, from $1.1 billion in 2014‑15 to $3 billion in 2023‑24.

Reduction to an extra sum for fire resilience drew outrage while the general fund for fire prevention continues to swell under Newsom's leadership.

At least 28 people are believed to be dead and more than a dozen others remain unaccounted for as multiple wildfires rage across Southern California.

More than two weeks after flames erupted in densely populated neighborhoods in Los Angeles, firefighters were still struggling to put out the Eaton and Palisades fires. Those blazes — which left at least 28 people dead and destroyed more than 16,

The fire threat remains critical in Southern California, where thousands of residents were under evacuation orders Wednesday as fire crews battled the out-of-control Hughes Fire near Castaic, a suburb in the foothills and mountains of northern Los Angeles County.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an order Thursday making $2.5 billion available for response and recovery efforts as fire weary residents brace for yet another threat as Santa Ana winds fan the flames of more fire.

Santa Ana winds will continue whipping through Southern California through Thursday, sparking fears that progress made fighting wildfires that have scorched over 40,000 acres and left 28 dead could be reversed and more blazes could break out.

Six wildfires are burning in Southern California, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

The Hughes Fire, reported shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday near Castaic Lake, prompted evacuation of a 280-square-mile area north of Los Angeles. The map above shows the mandatory evacuation area in red and the approximate perimeter as a black line.

Multiple firefighting aircraft have been deployed north of Los Angeles in LA County to counteract the spread of a new fire that has taken hold in the area.

The Hughes, Sepulveda and Laguna fires are among the latest blazes for Southern California during a fourth consecutive day of red flag fire weather warnings.