FEMA Arrives in Calaveras County After Butte Fire Federal Disaster Declaration

The Butte Fire that burned more than 70,000 acres of Calaveras and Amador counties, an area more than twice the size of San Francisco, has joined the Valley Fire as a federally recognized disaster area, and Friday federal officials were at the scene east of Sacramento.

Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Administration Agency joined the California Office of Emergency Services, Cal Fire, and the Red Cross and outlined services available to people who lost their homes or were otherwise impacted by the fire.

Tim Scranton, the federal coordinating officer acting as liaison between FEMA and local emergency services, said the main goal of his agency is to get displaced residents out of tents and into more permanent places. They're also offering legal services, crisis counseling, and setting up field offices throughout the county as residents return home.

"We know that it's going to be a long-term recovery for those survivors that have been affected," Scranton said. "We want to be able to partner with you to help you with that long-term strategy because this is not going to be quick."

The blaze is now 93 percent contained, but the devastation left behind is huge: two deaths, at least 475 houses and 343 other building destroyed, and dozens more damaged. Scranton stressed that people who feel they need it should seek crisis counseling available through the state and federal partnership.

"One of the things that we need to remember with these types of devastating events is when your home burns up all of your memories are gone," he said. "Your pictures and you videos of your kids, all of that is no longer in existence. So we want to be there to help you through these difficult times."

President Obama added Calaveras County Thursday to a Lake County Federal Disaster Declaration originally issued Sept. 22 for the Valley Fire burning 150 miles to the west.

Scranton also urged people to apply for monetary aid through FEMA along with their insurance, though the maximum amount offered, even to those who are permanently displaced, is set at $32,900.

The Butte Fire has been burning since September 9, and fire officials estimate it will be completely contained by October 1.