Tuesday, August 27, 2013

California Burns through one quarter of firefighting budget - by John Myers of News 10

They are some of the first personnel to set up shop on the site of a major California fire: the accountants.
Every taxpayer dollar spent battling Golden State blazes is tracked against the state's budgeted amount.  And so far, 2013 is on course to be an expensive year.
State officials say that through late last week, firefighting costs have totaled some $44.5 million for just the first seven weeks of the new fiscal year.  That's more than a quarter of the $172 million written into the spending plan signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on June 27.
"Whatever it takes, I'm going to make sure that the resources are deployed," said Brown in a news conference with firefighters Monday morning in Tuolumne City.
The governor spoke on Sunday with President Obama regarding federal assistance in battling the Rim Fire that now encompasses more than 234 square miles of California wilderness.
"The President reiterated his commitment to providing needed federal resources to support the ongoing state and local response," said the statement from the White House Press Office.
To read more by John Myers from News 10 CLICK HERE