Sacramento, California - California Governor's Office of Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci today secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help ensure the availability of vital resources to respond to and extinguish the North Fire burning in San Bernardino County. The FMAG also enables local, state and tribal agencies to recover eligible response-related costs.

As of Friday evening, the fire had consumed more than 3,500 acres, threatening homes in the area of Cajon Pass and the I-15 interstate freeway. Evacuations have occurred east of Sheep Creek Road, north of Highway 138, west of Highway 395 and I-15. The fire began just after 2 p.m. Friday and moved rapidly, destroying multiple vehicles and structures, while causing the complete closure of I-15 in both directions.

The federal grant, 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.