Officers to Watch Over Homes in Evacuated CA Wildfire Areas

As officials warned residents to stay clear of neighborhoods impacted by the massive wildfires burning in Southern California, law enforcement leaders made clear to those displaced that officers would be on hand to keep an eye on the homes they have left behind, reports the Los Angeles Daily News .

Los Angeles leaders during a news conference on Thursday announced that around 300 law enforcement personnel have been assigned to direct traffic and protect homes, both at the site of the Skirball fire and in the San Fernando Valley.

"While we have firefighters protecting your homes, we have LAPD personnel protecting your property," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, during the news conference, said his officers – as well as those with the California Highway Patrol, school police, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department – are "protecting the homes of those that have had to leave them."

Also assisting with security efforts are members of the California National Guard, although most were assigned to help with firefighting efforts.