President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the US government has invested a "historic" amount of funds to come to grips with the causes of wildfire
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th August, 2023) President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the US government has invested a "historic" amount of funds to come to grips with the causes of wildfires.
"As wildfires have intensified in recent years, more and more firefighters have put themselves in harm's way to defend our families and communities from out-of-control fires. That's why my administration has invested historic funding to address the underlying causes of wildfires - like record droughts caused by climate change," Biden said in a statement.
Biden expressed condolences to the families of three California firefighters who died in a two-helicopter collision while extinguishing fires on Sunday.
"Every day, firefighters run toward danger, while everyone else runs the other way, because being a firefighter is not what they do - it's who they are," Biden said.
The US president vowed to do everything in his power to prevent wildfires in the future.
In July, the Biden administration announced a $185 million investment to support wild-land fire management nationwide and assist land managers in planning wildfire management activities in fiscal year 2024.
CalFire Southern Region chief David Fulcher said earlier that three firefighters were killed after two helicopters collided while extinguishing a fire in California on Sunday. Fulcher identified the killed firemen as a division chief, air captain and contract pilot.
The incident occurred about 90 miles east of Los Angeles. Local media reported that the helicopters were one of six firefighting crews responding to the fire.
