Authorities Estimate It Will Take At Least Three Billion Dollars for California Wildfire Debris Cleanup

california-wildfires-cleanup-2
california-wildfires-cleanup-2

FILE - In this Dec. 3, 2018 file photo, a vehicle rests in front of a home leveled by the Camp Fire in Paradise, Calif. Authorities estimate it will cost at least $3 billion to clear debris of 19,000 homes destroyed by California wildfires last month. State and federal disaster relief officials said Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018, that private contractors will most likely begin removing debris in January from Butte, Ventura and Los Angeles counties and costs are likely to surpass initial estimates. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

 

State and federal authorities are estimating it will cost at least three-billion dollars to clear debris caused by three wildfires. The California Office of Emergency Services said yesterday the state will manage cleanup contracts related to wildfires in Butte, Ventura and Los Angeles counties. A total of about 19-thousand homes and businesses were destroyed by wildfires last month. The cleanup costs will far exceed the previous record expense of one-point-three-billion spent on debris removal in Northern California in 2017.