Summer has kicked off with quite the sizzle.

As of now, there are more than a dozen active fires burning throughout California. Two of them, on either side of Santa Barbara County, have forced some 3,500 people from their homes and new blazes have sprung up from San Diego to San Jose.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, L.A. County leaders approved a deal to add custom-modified military helicopters to our region's aerial firefighting fleet. The price tag? Almost $30 million dollars.

Thomas Ewald is the L.A. County Assistant Fire Chief. He spoke to A Martinez about the new choppers joining the aerial firefighting fleet.

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