REDDING, Calif. -- The California agency that fights wildfires says it's about to exceed its budget and needs $234 million more.
Cal Fire director Ken Pimlott says in a letter to lawmakers Thursday that the agency spent $432 million through the end of August and had only about $11 million left.
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Fire season generally picks up in fall, when winds and high temperatures can combine with dried-out forest and grasslands to create dangerous conditions.
Pimlott says Cal Fire would use some of the money to add firefighters and helicopters.
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The Legislature budgets for firefighting based on the historical average costs. Cal Fire has requested extra money in seven of the past 10 years, but never this early.