California Receives FEMA Funding To Help Fight The Summit Fire In Riverside County

OAKLAND, Calif. — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized the use of federal funds to help the state of California combat the Summit Fire in Riverside County.

On May 1, the state of California submitted a request for a fire management assistance declaration for the Summit Fire. At the time of the request, the fire was threatening 450 homes in and around the city of Cherry Valley with a population of roughly 6,362. It was reported that the fire was also threatening transmission lines in the area and at one point burned in excess of 1,500 acres of state and private land.

The authorization makes FEMA funding available to reimburse 75 percent of the eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating and controlling the fire.

The President’s Disaster Relief Fund provides funding for federal fire management grants made available by FEMA to assist in fighting fires that threaten to cause a major disaster. Eligible costs covered by the grant can include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; tools, materials and supplies; and mobilization and demobilization activities.

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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.