Steep Price Tag For Butte Fire

Sacramento, CA — Governor Jerry Brown’s administration has estimated the price tag for the devastating wildfires in Calaveras and Lake counties at around a quarter of a billion.

The cost relates to clean up and debris removal for the Butte and Valley fires, which state administrator expect will reach at least $243 million. The Department of Finance has announced that it is shifting another $83 million from the state’s rainy day fund to help pay for the cleanup. Officials anticipate spending another $105 million in January.

With both blaze sites already declared federal disasters, state officials anticipate reimbursement for a large portion of those fire costs by the U.S. Government.

Friday, in a letter to lawmakers, State Director of Finance Michael Cohen summed up the magnitude of the cleanup costs for the two Northern California fires as unprecedented in its magnitude and complexity.

As reported earlier this month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released its breakdown more than $27 million in federal disaster assistance to Butte and Valley fire survivors.