[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
[October 3, 2006]
[Page 1765]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on the California Wildfires in Los Angeles, California
October 3, 2006

    Thank you all very much for joining me on Air Force One. I had a 
briefing on the fires that have been ravaging country here in 
California. I was proud to be here with the members of the U.S. Forest 
Service--as you can see, one of the yellow shirts. These are the people 
on the frontline of fighting these fires.
    And they brought me up to date, particularly on the Day Fire. And 
that fire has been contained, which is good news for the people of 
California. I congratulate the Forest Service for their planning and 
operational planning on fighting this fire.
    I really want to thank the brave firefighters who risk their lives 
on a daily basis to contain the fires. I was briefed on the Healthy 
Forest Initiative, particularly in the urban interface, and was pleased 
to hear we're making progress on helping to contain fires once they 
start. We've got a lot more work to do. I believe Congress needs to pass 
further law that will enable us to restore forests once they've been 
burned.
    But all in all, it's been a good lesson for us to watch these Forest 
Service people do their job, and I'm really proud of them. I want to 
thank you for joining me, and I congratulate you for your good work.
    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 4:52 p.m. upon arrival at Los Angeles 
International Airport.