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EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT STATE OF CALIFORNIA PROCLAMATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY WHEREAS on September 2, 2025, the TCU Lightning Complex Fires ignited near the historic town of Chinese Camp in Tuolumne County, and ultimately burned through September 13, 2025, burning 13,869 acres across four counties, including Calaveras County; and WHEREAS the TCU Lightning Complex Fires were multiple fires ignited by a series of widespread thunderstorms which brought more than 10,000 lightning strikes across Northern California; and WHEREAS hot temperatures, low humidity, and erratic winds increased the spread of the TCU Lightning Complex Fires, prompting evacuation orders, the closure of portions of Highways 49, 108, and 120, and damaging or destroying over 100 structures and homes, including 50 homes in the historic town of Chinese Camp; and WHEREAS on September 2, 2025, Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties proclaimed local emergencies due to the TCU Lightning Complex Fires; and WHEREAS under the provisions of Government Code section 8558(b), I find that conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property exist due to impacts from the TCU Lightning Complex Fires in Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties; and WHEREAS under the provisions of Government Code section 8558(b), I find that the conditions caused by the TCU Lightning Complex Fires in Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties, by reason of their magnitude, are beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of any single local government and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to appropriately respond; and WHEREAS under the provisions of Government Code section 8625(c), I find that local authorities are inadequate to cope with the magnitude of the damage caused by the TCU Lightning Complex Fires in Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties; and WHEREAS under the provisions of Government Code section 8571, I find that strict compliance with various statutes and regulations specified in this Proclamation would prevent, hinder, or delay the mitigation of the effects of the TCU Lightning Complex Fires in Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties. NOW, THEREFORE, I, GAVIN NEWSOM,Governor of the State of California, in accordance with the authority vested in me by the State Constitution and statutes, including the California Emergency Services Act, and in particular, Government Code section 8625,HEREBY PROCLAIM A STATE OF EMERGENCY to exist in Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties due to the TCU Lightning Complex Fires.