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SACRAMENTO - Moving swiftly to support the state’s response to the Mountain Fire, Governor Gavin Newsom today 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.
“This is a dangerous fire that’s spreading quickly and threatening lives. State resources have been mobilized to protect communities, and this federal support from the Biden-Harris Administration will give state and local firefighters the resources they need to save lives and property as they continue battling this aggressive fire.” - Governor Gavin Newsom
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 California in advance of dangerous fire weather forecast 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, which is provided through the President’s Disaster Relief Fund on 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, which is administered through the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), provides rapid financial assistance to communities impacted by fires.