By SDCN Editor
Sacramento, CA–Governor Gavin Newsom Wednesday announced that California has secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppress the fire burning in Ventura County.
Fueled by Red Flag wind conditions, the critically fast-moving Mountain Fire ignited this morning in Ventura County near the city of Camarillo and has burned more than 8,800 acres, forcing the evacuation of more than 10,000 people and threatening 3,500 homes, structures, and businesses.
Since Sunday, at the governor’s direction, the California Office of Emergency Services has prepositioned 48 pieces of firefighting equipment, 9 helicopters, and over 100 personnel in 19 counties across the state in advance of dangerous fire weather forecasts in many parts of coastal and inland California.
“It’s important for people living in these areas to stay informed, listen to local authorities, and be ready to evacuate when told to go,” Newsom said.
So far this year, California has secured 9 additional FMAGs from FEMA to support the state’s emergency response to the Airport, Bridge, Boyles, Line, Borel, Park, Hawarden, French, and Thompson fires.
The FMAG, provided through the President’s Disaster Relief Fund on a cost-share basis, will assist local, state, and tribal agencies responding to the fire to apply for 75 percent reimbursement of their eligible fire suppression costs. The program, administered through the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, provides rapid financial assistance to communities impacted by fires.
