FEMA rejected April request from Calif. to clear dead trees
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CNN's Miguel Marquez reports on the wildfires in the Lake Arrowhead region of Southern California
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SACRAMENTO, California (CNN) -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency just last week turned down an emergency request Gov. Gray Davis made in April for federal help to clear dead trees in counties which are now engulfed in flames.
Davis sent a letter to President Bush along with his request April 16, warning that the bark beetle infestation in Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties had created thousands of dead and dying trees, Davis spokesman Steve Maviglio said.
"I have determined that this situation is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state," Davis said in the letter, which asked for $430 million in federal funds to aid in clearing and firefighting efforts. "Supplementary federal assistance is necessary to save lives, protect property [and] public health and foster safety," the letter stated.
FEMA turned down the request last Friday, Maviglio said.
In March, warning of a threat of "catastrophic fire," Davis declared a state of emergency for those three counties.
As of Thursday, raging wildfires in five southern California counties had burned more than 729,000 acres -- the majority in San Diego and San Bernardino counties. The fires have fed on tinder-dry brush and dead trees, and have been spread by whipping Santa Ana winds.
Twenty people have died -- including one firefighter. Davis has estimated the damage at more than $2 billion.
