On September 2, 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Siskiyou County to support the response to the rapidly-spreading Mill Fire, which has burned more than 900 acres since it began today amid dangerous fire weather.

The Governor also announced that California has secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppress the fire, which has caused civilian injuries and power outages, destroyed homes and forced thousands of residents to evacuate. The text of the proclamation can be found here.

The FMAG, which is provided through the President’s Disaster Relief Fund on a cost-share basis, will enable local, state and tribal agencies responding to the fire to apply for 75-percent reimbursement of their eligible fire suppression costs. The program, which is administered through the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), provides rapid financial assistance to communities impacted by fires.

Cal OES Fire and Rescue and CAL FIRE personnel are working in concert with state, local and federal agencies in response to the Mill Fire. The State Operations Center is actively coordinating the state’s fire response, dispatching mutual aid and addressing emergency management needs.