Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Placer and El Dorado counties due to the Mosquito Fire and in Riverside County due to the Fairview Fire on Thursday afternoon.

Both wildfires are threatening multiple communities and have forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents. The declaration has frees up state resources to help residents affected by the fire and to help firefighters battle the fires.

The Fairview fire, which over the weekend had grown to 4,500 acres has since spread rapidly with the latest update from Cal Fire on Thursday night stating that the blaze had grown to over 27,000 acres and remained only 5% contained.

Meanwhile, the Mosquito fire has grown according to the latest update also on Thursday night from Cal Fire to 13,705 acres with zero per cent containment.

The statement from Governor Newsom’s office noted that earlier this week, California secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppress the Fairview Fire.

Additionally, last week Governor Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Siskiyou County due to the Mill Fire, and announced that the state secured an FMAG to support the response to the fire.