FEMA Approves Funding To Tackle Wildfire Torching Affluent Area Of Southern California

Topline

California was awarded funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Thursday to fight an unusually intense early season wildfire that has torched coastal neighborhoods packed with multi-million dollar mansions in Southern California’s Orange County

Key Facts

The FEMA grant allows responding agencies to apply for 75% reimbursement of eligible fire suppression costs.

The blaze, dubbed the Coastal Fire,was reported to have spread to 200 acres as of Thursday 8:30 a.m. PT and was 0% contained.

Mandatory evacuations were in place for portions of Laguna Niguel, and local students were relocated to neighboring schools Thursday.

At least 20 homes were destroyed overnight in the wealthy community of Laguna Niguel.

The cause of the fire was unknown, but the electric utility Southern California Edison was investigating circuit activity that overlaps with the time and place of the start of the wildfire.

Key Background

The fire was reported at 2:55 p.m. Wednesday in the Aliso Woods Canyon area, near the South Orange County Wastewater Treatment Plant and evacuations were ordered by 5 p.m.. Fire season typically runs from June to August in California, but authorities said that extreme drought conditions have left vegetation so dry that it doesn’t take much to set off a blaze, with ocean winds clocked at 30 MPH fanning the flames. Steep terrain and thick vegetation in the canyon stalled efforts to mitigate the swift moving wildfire.

Key Quote

“I guess it’s just disheartening that we’re already seeing a fire that’s this aggressive and it’s only May,” National Weather Meteorologist Brandt Maxwell said. “Usually this is something that we see later on in the summer and especially in fall.”

Further Reading

FEMA Fire Management Assistance Granted for the Coastal Fire (FEMA)

Edison reports ‘circuit activity’ at time of Coastal fire that destroyed 20 homes in Laguna Niguel (Los Angeles Times)