UPDATE - Trump Declares State Of Emergency In California Amid Devastating Wildfire - White House

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th November, 2018) US President Donald Trump declared the state of emergency in the western state of California amid devastating wildfires in the area, the White House said in a statement as the death toll in the fires rose to nine people.

"Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that an emergency exists in the State of California and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State, tribal, and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from wildfires beginning on November 8, 2018, and continuing," the White House said in a statement late on Friday.

The move authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts and support state authorities in coping with the wildfires.

Meanwhile, the Butte county authorities said late on Friday that around 52,000 people have been evacuated due to the disaster, dubbed the Camp Fire. Moreover, the fire has destroyed over 6,000 structures in the area, according to the official figures.

"It's my sad duty to report that we now can confirm a total of nine fatalities," Butte county Sheriff Kory Honea said during a Friday press conference whose video was published on the sheriff's Facebook.

The Camp Fire exploded on Thursday quickly spreading across California.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper called the Camp Fire the most destructive wildfire in California's history.

According to the outlet, the flames have covered over 90,000 acres of land.