California to get help from Pentagon on wildfires

StateScoop: California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that the state has reached an agreement with the Defense Department enabling officials to use military technology in combatting wildfires.

Newsom, addressing a conference convened by the California Office of Emergency Services, said the state will have access to data collected by a Cold War-era satellite that could help officials spot new hotspots, and that it has also received blanket permission for the National Guard to use unmanned aerial vehicles to assist CalFire, the state’s firefighting agency, in putting out blazes.

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