California governor calls wildfire damage ‘the new normal’

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) on Saturday warned that expansive wildfires that have burned through close to 200,000 acres of Southern California could be “the new normal,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

“This could be something that happens every year or every few years. We’re about to have a firefighting Christmas,” Brown said at a news conference.

{mosads}In total, the fires have displaced nearly 90,000 people and destroyed almost 800 structures, the Los Angeles Times reported. Roughly 8,500 firefighters are actively combatting the blazes.

Brown suggested climate change could intensify the dry, windy conditions that fueled the fires in recent weeks.

President Trump on Friday declared a state of emergency in California, which allows federal assistance to supplement the state and local response to the fires.

Brown declared a state of emergency in multiple counties last week.

Earlier this year, wildfires ripped through wine country in Northern California, killing 44 people and creating billions of dollars worth of damage.