By: California Emergency Management Agency (CAL EMA)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (August 19, 2012) – Today, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. secured federal financial assistance to help ensure availability of vital resources to extinguish the Ponderosa Fire burning in Tehama and Shasta Counties.
California received approval for a special Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) which provides funds to reimburse firefighting expenses.
"These wildfires can spread quickly and cause a lot of heart-breaking destruction," said Cal EMA Secretary Mark Ghilarducci. "Our hearts go out to those who have been impacted by this wildfire," he said. "We've been working around the clock to deploy mutual aid firefighting strike teams to several areas of the state. This federal funding is critically important to help pay for the extraordinary costs to fight the devastating Ponderosa fire," said Ghilarducci.
This specific funding provided by FEMA allows a 75 percent federal cost-share reimbursement, through the President's Disaster Relief Fund, to California for costs incurred in firefighting activities. The other 25 percent of firefighting costs is left to the local jurisdiction.
The FMAG is available to state, local and tribal governments. The reimbursed costs must be a result of fire disaster declared by the Governor and performed within the designated fire area using resources requested by incident commanders. Reimbursements can include supplies, labor, travel, repairs, administrative costs and mobilizations/demobilizations.
As of Sunday afternoon, the Ponderosa Fire has burned over 12,000 acres and is at 0 percent containment. The fire has destroyed 4 structures, is threatening 3000 residences, 20 commercial properties and 300 outbuildings, resulting in mandatory evacuations for the affected area.
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