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10/26/2006, 5:17 PM - [Printable
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Contact:
Ray Smith
public information officer
(951) 955-1110
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County declares local emergency, establishes fund for firefighters' families
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Riverside County officials on Thursday declared a local emergency as a result of the Esperanza Fire and will discuss plans to offer a $100,000 reward for information about the inferno when the Board of Supervisors meets on Tuesday.
An arsonist deliberately set the blaze Thursday (Oct. 26) at approximately 1:30 a.m. southeast of Cabazon on Esperanza Avenue. Pushed by fierce winds, the fire burned thousands of acres and has killed at least four U.S. Forest Service firefighters. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors will consider plans to offer a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for setting the fire.
In response, Riverside County declared a local emergency Thursday at approximately 4 p.m. The declaration asks Gov. Schwarzenegger to proclaim a state of emergency in Riverside County. It also requests that the governor seek a presidential emergency declaration for Riverside County.
The state and federal declarations may help Riverside County recover costs associated with fighting the fire. The declarations also could make it easier for homeowners and business owners who suffered property damage to receive federal or state assistance.
Riverside County also is establishing a fund to help the families of firefighters who were killed fighting the fire. Donations may be sent to the Esperanza Firefighters Assistance Fund, P.O. Box 1645, Riverside, Calif. 92502-1645.
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