The United States Department of Agriculture is sealing off all of California’s national forests for the public for two weeks following a series of wildfires that have spread across the state and caused significant damage. The forest cover in the state of California is about 20 million acres, according to US media reports.

The announcement was made by the Forest Service, a subsidiary arm of the United States Department of Agriculture, on Monday and is likely to extend till September 17, 2021.

Jennifer M. Eberlien, a regional forester in Calfornia sent a notice to employees that read, “I have made the difficult decision to temporarily close all (California) National Forests in order to better provide public and firefighter safety due to extreme fire conditions throughout the state, and strained firefighting resources throughout the country”, according to reports from The Sacramento Bee.

Those who will be caught violating the orders given by the Forest Services on Monday, will be facing a fine ranging to $5,000. The closure, which starts on Tuesday, will include hiking trails, campgrounds and recreational sites in California’s forests.

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Eberlien, in his letter obtained by the Sacramento Bee, said, “I do not take this decision lightly but this is the best choice for public safety.”

The statement added, “It is especially hard with the approaching Labor Day weekend, when so many people enjoy our national forests”, according to reports from the Sacramento Bee.

A popular vacation haven normally filled with tens of thousands of summer tourists was clogged with fleeing vehicles Monday after the entire resort city of South Lake Tahoe was ordered to leave as a ferocious wildfire raced toward Lake Tahoe, a sparkling gem on the California-Nevada border, according to reports from Associated Press.

Vehicles loaded with bikes and camping gear and hauling boats were stuck in gridlock traffic in the city of 22,000, stalled in hazy, brown air that smelled like a campfire.