Newsom promises wildfire mitigation amid COVID-19

"I want to encourage everybody in the same spirit of responsibility as it relates to mitigating the transmission of COVID-19, to see what we can do to mitigate the loss of lives and property by focusing on evacuation plans, focusing on the needs to do the kind of work at the house to create some defensible space between yourself and some of the wildland and interface you may be residing in, and obviously do more to harden your home and protect yourself, protect your loved ones, as we move into fire season, peak fire season," Newsom said during a news conference on Thursday.

California is facing the double-threat of rising COVID-19 numbers as it enters peak wildfire season.

So far the state has seen 4,112 wildfire incidents this calendar year, Newsom said, calling it a significant increase from 2019.