Nearly $950,000 in state funding will be used for wildfire prevention projects across the San Gabriel Valley, including the planned treatment of about 450 acres in Claremont Wilderness Park, officials announced Wednesday.
The San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments received $949,993 through Cal Fire’s Wildfire Prevention Grant Program for its Fire Prep SGV Wildfire Resilience and Fuel Reduction Program.
The program is expected to fund six to 10 projects aimed at removing hazardous vegetation and reducing the potential intensity and spread of wildfires, according to the council.
Projects will focus on areas designated as Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones and are intended to help protect more than 20,000 habitable structures throughout the region.
Claremont is leading the effort with plans to treat about 450 acres in Claremont Wilderness Park, reducing hazardous vegetation in an area that borders residential neighborhoods and is vulnerable to wildfire.
“The devastating wildfires our region experienced in 2025, including the Eaton Fire, made clear that we cannot afford to wait,” said Ed Reece, president of the council and vice mayor of Claremont. “Proactive, aggressive fuel mitigation is essential to protecting our communities, homes, and critical infrastructure.”
Reece said the funding will allow the council to support its 31 member cities with wildfire prevention efforts ranging from brush clearing to other fuel-reduction projects.
The program is intended to reduce horizontal and vertical concentrations of combustible vegetation that can contribute to the intensity and spread of wildfires, officials said.
The council will work with cities and unincorporated communities in the San Gabriel Valley to identify locations and carry out the projects.