LAKE COUNTY,Calif. – As record high temperatures continue to broil most of the state, firefighters throughout California continue to work hard to bring several wildfires under control.

On Monday, Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. secured federal financial assistance to help ensure availability of vital resources to extinguish the Wye Fire Complex of wildfires burning in Lake County.

California received approval for a special Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) which provides funds to reimburse firefighting expenses.

“Resources can get strained during this time of year, so these funds are critical for providing our local and state firefighters with the tools they need to fight this fire,” said Cal EMA Secretary Mark Ghilarducci. “We are doing everything we can to assist the fire-affected areas and the firefighters who are bravely fighting this fire. We are thankful for the support from our federal partners and glad that they understand the magnitude of the Wye Fire.”

This specific funding provided by FEMA allows a 75 percent federal cost-share reimbursement, through the President’s Disaster Relief Fund, to California for costs incurred in firefighting activities. The other 25 percent of firefighting costs is left to the local jurisdiction.

The FMAG is available to state, local and tribal governments. The reimbursed costs must be a result of fire disaster declared by the governor and performed within the designated fire area using resources requested by incident commanders.

Reimbursements can include supplies, labor, travel, repairs, administrative costs and mobilizations/demobilizations.

The Wye Fire has so far burned over 6,000 acres and is at 25 percent containment. The fire is threatening 480 residences resulting in mandatory evacuations for the affected area.

For current information about the Wye wildfires visit  http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=707

Joining the hundreds of local government and federal firefighting personnel already battling fires throughout the state, the California Emergency Management Agency has currently deployed mutual aid resources including nine Cal EMA Strike Teams, 39 local government strike teams/task forces; 240 engines and 781 firefighters.

Cal EMA is responsible for the coordination of overall state agency response to major disasters in support of local government.

The agency is responsible for assuring the state’s readiness to respond to and recover from all hazards – natural, manmade, war-caused emergencies and disasters – and for assisting local governments in their emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and hazard mitigation efforts.

Visit the agency online at www.calema.ca.gov or @calema on Twitter and get the latest news at www.calemanews.wordpress.com .