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 Silverado Fire burning in Orange County.
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 Silverado Fire has burned more than 4,000 acres of state and private land since it began early this morning and is threatening approximately 1,305 homes in and around the communities of Foothill Ranch, Irvine, Santiago Canyon and Tustin. The fire has forced the evacuation of over 60,000 people and is threatening local schools, critical infrastructure and other structures.
CAL FIRE and Cal OES Fire and Rescue and Regional emergency personnel are responding in concert with other federal, state and local agencies to address emergency management and mutual aid needs for the fire. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Red Flag Warning and a High Wind Warning for the area due to current weather conditions which have created an ideal environment for continued fire spread.