Barbara Boxer: “In October, residents of San Bernardino, San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside, and Santa Barbara counties…”

“In October, residents of San Bernardino, San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside, and Santa Barbara counties faced some of the most horrific fires in California's history. At one point, flames driven by fierce Santa Ana winds forced as many as one million Californians to flee their homes and communities. During these firestorms, 14 people lost their lives. More than 100 people sustained injuries. Almost 3,000 structures, two-thirds of them homes, were destroyed. More than 500,000 acres burned. The impact of these tragic fires will be felt by the people of California for a long time, but we will do everything we can to help rebuild the damaged lives, homes, and communities. It is often during the very worst of times that we see the very best of humanity. I want to express my deep appreciation to all those at the local, county, State, and Federal levels who worked tirelessly to get the job done, including CalFire, the California National Guard, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Navy, the Marines, the Border Patrol, the National Park Service and, above all, the county and local fire agencies. I was deeply touched by the thousands of courageous and tireless firefighters who worked around the clock saving the lives of people caught in the fire's path, battling flames, and protecting neighborhoods.”