California secures federal assistance to support response to Borel Fire

Sacramento, California – Working quickly to bring in additional funding and resources to help fight the rapidly burning Borel 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 Kern County.

The fast-moving Borel Fire ignited on July 24 on federal lands in the Sequoia National Forest, and has burned more than 31,000 acres and has more than tripled in size since Friday morning.

The state has also secured FMAGs to support the response to the Park, Thompson, French and Hawarden fires. Governor Newsom yesterday proclaimed a state of emergency in Plumas County due to the Gold Complex Fire and in Butte and Tehama counties due to the Park Fire, and previously proclaimed a state of emergency in response to the Thompson Fire.

An FMAG, which is provided through the President’s Disaster Relief Fund on cost-share basis, assists 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.

Visit CAL FIRE’s website for the latest on current wildfires, including information on evacuation orders and warnings.