SACRAMENTO–Governor Gavin Newsom Thursday announced that California has secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppress the CZU August Lightning Complex Fire burning in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties.
The grant, which is provided through the President’s Disaster Relief Fund on cost-share basis, will assist local, state and tribal agencies responding to the fires to apply for 75-percent reimbursement of their eligible fire suppression costs.
The CZU August Lightning Complex Fire has burned approximately 40,000 acres to date, threatening thousands of structures near Bonny Doon, Boulder Creek, China Creek, San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley. Cal Office of Emergency Services, working with Cal Fire, is mobilizing multiple immediate need fire strike teams and firefighters, with aircraft, fire engines, dozers and water tenders as well as shelter operations staff and emergency communications capability.
The governor also announced an amendment to the Fire Management Assistance Grant approved earlier this week to assist Napa County in battling the LNU Lightning Complex Fire, expanding federal assistance to the following impacted counties: Lake, Solano and Yolo.
The governor has declared a statewide emergency due to the widespread fires and extreme weather conditions, and secured Fire Management Assistance Grant to bolster the state’s response to various fires burning in Santa Cruz, San Mateo Napa, Nevada, Lake, Solano, Yolo and Monterey counties.