Cal OES Secures Fire Management Assistance Grant from FEMA to Assist Response Agencies Battling Sand Fire in Southern California

California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services today 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 Sand Fire burning in Los Angeles County near Santa Clarita. The FMAG also enables local, state and tribal agencies to recover eligible costs.

Thus far, the fire has burned approximately 20,000 acres, threatening areas around Sylmar, Lancaster, Pacoima, Palcerita, Sand Canyon and Aqua Dulce. Evacuations are already underway. The fire is threatening about 3,000 homes in the area. The impacted area is a mix of federal, state, county and private land.

Strong winds, very hot temperatures during the day, with little-to-no cooling overnight have fed the flames and caused rapid growth. Rugged, steep and brush-covered terrain has also made for difficult firefighting conditions.

The federal grant, which is provided through the President’s Disaster Relief Fund on a 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.

Additional information is available at:

• Fire Management Assistance Grants
• Cal OES Twitter @Cal_OES
• Incident information for Sand Fire via the Angeles National Forest Twitter and Los Angeles County Fire Department Twitter.
• Governor’s Office of Emergency Services – http://www.caloes.ca.gov/.