Barbara Boxer: “I rise today with great anxiety about what is happening in my State. You can see here behind me the view of one of the…”

“I rise today with great anxiety about what is happening in my State. You can see here behind me the view of one of the fires that is burning from the vantage point of a fireman. These fires have become the worst wildfires Californians have seen in decades. In less than 1 week they burned nearly twice as many acres as are burned statewide in the average fire year. The numbers in my statement today may already be obsolete. Things are moving that fast in terms of property damage, homes destroyed, and so on. The wildfires range from as far south as the Mexican border to as far north as Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. They have consumed a total of more than 400,000 acres or 625 square miles. To put that in perspective, that is three times the size of Chicago. The fires are devouring businesses and homes and sometimes entire neighborhoods. More than 900 homes have already been destroyed and perhaps 30,000 more are in danger. I know people are without electricity in areas throughout the State. Many are escaping with only the clothes on their backs, and families have had no time to gather anything other than their loved ones as they flee from an inferno that engulfs everything it touches. More than 50,000 people have been evacuated and the numbers continue to climb. Thirty-six evacuation centers have already been set up in the five county areas.”