Golden State Today

While visiting Pacific Palisades, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California has secured federal assistance to combat the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles County. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) to provide essential resources for fire suppression efforts.

Governor Newsom expressed gratitude to firefighters and first responders for their prompt response. "Our deepest thanks go to our expert firefighters and first responders who jumped quickly into fighting this dangerous fire. In addition to prepositioning dozens of firefighting engines and personnel in advance of the fire threat, we have secured funding from the federal government to fight this destructive, fast-moving fire," he stated. He also urged Southern Californians to heed local officials' advice during this critical time.

The Palisades Fire began at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday near Topanga Canyon, affecting over 1,260 acres and threatening 6,000 structures. Evacuation orders are in place for the area.

The FMAG is funded through the President’s Disaster Relief Fund on a cost-share basis, allowing local, state, and tribal agencies responding to the fire to apply for reimbursement of up to 75 percent of eligible fire suppression costs.

Starting Sunday, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services authorized prepositioning of 65 fire engines along with over 120 additional firefighting resources and personnel across several counties including Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego. Cal FIRE also deployed extra resources including 45 engines and six hand crews.

Residents are advised to stay alert and follow instructions from local authorities as critical fire weather conditions are anticipated through Thursday in various counties including Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego.