FEMA formally announces it will provide funds
FEMA authorized the use of federal funds to help fire crews battle the Butler II Fire. A Fire Management Assistance Grant was approved at 1:29 p.m., on Saturday. The fire started at noon of September 14. At the time the request was made, the fire threatened hundreds of homes in Fawnskin, 6,000 homes in Lucerne Valley, and 150 businesses and recreational facilities in the surrounding areas, according to a news release by the agency. The authorization makes FEMA funding available to pay 75 percent of the state’s eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating and controlling designated fires.
Federal fire management assistance is provided through the President’s Disaster Relief Fund and is made available by FEMA to assist in fighting fires that threaten to cause a major disaster.