FEMA Grant to Cover Valley Firefighting Costs

Photo: Valley Fire burning on Sunday in Lake County, near the Napa border. Credit Al Francis, NapaSonomaPhotos.com
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A federal grant has been approved for costs associated with the 61,000-acre Valley Fire burning in Lake, Sonoma and Napa counties, Rep. Mike Thompson said this morning.

The Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is for mitigation, management and control of fires on publicly or privately owned forest or grasslands that threaten destruction constituting a major disaster, according to Thompson, D-Napa.

It will cover 75 percent of the costs for fire suppression, safety and recovery needs, Thompson said.

The Valley Fire started at 1:24 p.m. Saturday off High Valley and Bottle Rock roads in Cobb in Lake County. It was 5 percent contained as of this morning.

The fire has reportedly killed one person, destroyed hundreds of homes and other structures, knocked out power to more than 5,000 properties, caused mandatory evacuations in Lake and Napa counties and prompted advisory evacuation notices in the Healdsburg and Geyserville areas of Sonoma County, according to Cal Fire.

“The Valley Fire is spreading rapidly and has proven to be especially dangerous,” Thompson said in a news release announcing the grant. “It has already devastated nearly 100 square miles and is just 5 percent contained.

Assistance from every level of government is needed as we respond to this major disaster.” Thompson thanked FEMA for quickly approving federal funds to contain and eliminate the fire and help the region recover from the damage.

Full fire coverage

• Highway Through Hell: Video Shows Driver’s Escape from Valley Fire Inferno
• One Dead as Valley Fire Explodes to 61,000 Acres, 5 Percent Containment
• Evacuated Fire Victims Settling into Tent City
• One Person Killed in Valley Fire; 50,000 Acres Burned; Hundreds of Homes Lost
• Exhaustion, Desperation, Humor at Calistoga Evacuation Center
• “Huge Destruction. Homes Destroyed Will Be in Hundreds”
• Valley Fire Roars Through 40,000 Acres in 12 Hours

The grant will cover a host of costs, including equipment and supplies, evacuations, sheltering, police barricading and traffic control, field camps and meals, personal comfort and safety of firefighters, mobilization and demobilization and costs that are not reimbursed by another federal agency.

--Bay City News