California burns through $209-million wildfire budget, taps $70 million more

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Firefighters mop up hot spots in an area burned by the King fire on Sept. 19 near Pollock Pines, Calif. The King fire is threatening more than 12,000 homes in the forested area about an hour east of Sacramento. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

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Wayne Allen Huntsman, right, appears in El Dorado County Superior Court with Public Defender William Dittman on charges related to the King fire. Huntsman pleaded not guilty to an arson charge. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

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A burned-out truck sits in front of a structure that was destroyed by the King fire on Sept. 19 near Pollock Pines, Calif. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

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Herve Leconte sits atop his vehicle alongside Highway 50 near Camino, Calif., on Sept. 18, displaying a sign thanking all those who are dealing with the King fire. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

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A crew burns away dry brush along U.S. Highay 50 near Pollock Pines, Calif. (Alvin Jornada / EPA)

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Smoke billows from a canyon next to U.S. Highway 50, where firefighters were creating a fire break. (Alvin Jornada / EPA)

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A weary firefighter stares into the flames during a 24-hour shift near Pollock Pines, Calif. (Alvin Jornada / EPA)

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Firefighters monitor the King fire as it burns through brush in Fresh Pond, Calif. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

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A firefighter monitors a backfire as he battles the King fire in Fresh Pond, Calif. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

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Firefighters use drip torches to set a controlled burn to create a safe zone around homes close to the King fire near Pollock Pines, Calif. (Alvin Jornada / EPA)

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A firefighting helicopter collects water from a reservoir to fight the King fire in Pollock Pines, Calif. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

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Firefighters set a controlled burn to rob fuel from the King fire near Pollock Pines, Calif. (Alvin Jornada / EPA)

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A firefighter monitors the King Fire as it burns through brush. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

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Flames from the King fire consume trees in Fresh Pond, Calif. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

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A firefighter monitors the King fire. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

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Angela Warden, left, and her daughter Brianna hang signs on a tree thanking firefighters for battling the King fire. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

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A firefighter is shrouded in smoke as he battles the King fire near Fresh Pond, Calif., on Wednesday. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

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Smoke rises from trees burned by the King fire on Wednesday in Pollock Pines, Calif. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

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Firefighters monitor the King fire on Wednesday in Pollock Pines, Calif. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

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An air tanker drops fire retardant on a hillside ahead of the King fire Wednesday in Pollock Pines, Calif. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

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Firefighters battle flames from the King fire near Fresh Pond, Calif., on Wednesday. The blaze that started Sunday has consumed more than 18,000 acres and is only 5% contained. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

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Smoke and flames loom up over the King Fire in the Eldorado National Forest. (Brendan Rice / AP)

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Firefighter Jesse Hadorowski climbs up steep terrain while battling the King fire near Pollock Pines, Calif.. on Sept. 15. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

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Smoke from the King fire rises into the sky near Pollock Pines, Calif., on Sept. 15. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

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Firefighters hose down hot spots of the King fire near Pollock Pines, Calif., on Sept. 15. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

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An aerial tanker drops fire retardant on the King fire near Pollock Pines, Calif., on Sept. 15. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

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A helicopter refills its tanks with water to battle the King fire near Pollock Pines, Calif., on Sept. 15. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

By Amy HubbardDeputy Editor, Fast Break Desk

Sept. 30, 2014 10:13 AM PT

California has burned through its wildfire-fighting budget -- $209 million -- just as it faces what is historically the worst of the fire season. And the state already has tapped into its reserves, pulling out $70 million more to combat drought-fueled blazes.

Although California routinely blows through its budget for fighting wildfires, this year the state set aside more money than usual. Now, less than three months after Gov. Jerry Brown signed the budget, his administration is tapping into reserves intended as a cushion for unexpected costs like natural disasters.

Some of the costs of fighting state wildfires will be reimbursed by the federal government. But those funds are running low. Wildfires cost the U.S. about $125 billion annually. Earlier this month, state officials requested that Congress set up an emergency reserve, like California’s, to help pay for extreme fires.

The state has long been king when it comes to spending on wildfires. By one estimate, $4 billion was spent combating wildfires in California from 2003-12, topping all other states.

And the costs for fighting wildfires hasn’t abated in 2014, with blazes cropping up across the state’s forests, turned tinder dry amid prolonged drought conditions.

Federal forest land has also taken a huge hit, especially in Northern California, where a series of fires has scorched roughly 275,000 acres combined. The Happy Camp Complex alone -- which at 132,733 acres is California’s largest -- has cost the federal government $87.3 million to fight, or nearly half of the entire state budget for fighting wildfires.

State officials have called this wildfire season “unprecedented,” with parched landscapes primed to supercharge the rapid growth of relatively small fires.

The California Department of Fire and Forestry has responded to 4,974 fires from Jan. 1 to Sept. 20, which is 1,203 more than average, according to state statistics, which apply to non-U.S. Forest land.

Southern California, meanwhile, is only now entering the traditional start of its fall wildfire season, which is notorious for strong Santa Ana winds that have fanned destructive fires in the past.

“It’s already been a very active and very busy fire season,” Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant told the Associated Press. “The Santa Ana and fall season just elevates that risk even more.”

Chris Megerian contributed to this report.

Twitter: @chrismegerian