Gov. Schwarzenegger visits Chico

June 25, 2008

The Silver Dollar Fairground received a high profile visitor Wednesday-the governor.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived at about 2:20 p.m. to talk about the fires, which have been spreading quickly across California as a result of the heat and thunder strikes.

Schwarzenegger described the fires as "a very unusual situation" because of the timing and weather conditions. He cautioned that the blaze and the smoke can be very damaging.

There are a staggering number of fires, he said. But he is confident that firefighters will bring the crisis to an end.

Everyone is committed to ending the fires, Schwarzenegger said.

As of 12 p.m, there were 1,026 fires, and 11,964 personnel committed to the fires, according to Cal Fire estimates. There were 941 engines, 271 hand crews, 291 bulldozers, 360 water tenders, 42 helicopters and 6 air tankers committed.

229 of the fires had been contained as of 12 p.m.

People should not forget about the animals, Schwarzenegger said. Sometimes, in a crisis, animals can be forgotten and left behind, but people should make an effort to save them as well.

Schwarzenegger praised firefighters for their courage and dedication to the job.

"Without a doubt, we have the…best trained…most courageous firefighters in the world," he said.

Evan Burt can be reached at eburt@theorion.com

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