More than a year and a half after the Oliver and Telegraph Fires blazed, Mariposa County was finally able to end its emergency status regarding both. The Mariposa County Board of Supervisors closed the books on the local emergencies at Tuesday morning’s meeting.

County Administrative Officer (CAO) Rick Benson said the board’s consent agenda was a little shorter than it has been since summer of 2008. Each week since then, the board has had to continue the local emergency until all federal and state reimbursement was received.

“No longer is there a need to declare an emergency,” Benson told the board, explaining that the county had received $543,519 in reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and State Office of Emergency Services. The money did not just go to the fire and sheriff’s department.

It covered direct and indirect costs for damages to roads and expenses incurred by the public works department during the suppression effort. Reimbursement was also made to the human services department for activities not funded through other sources. The bulk of the funding, however, was for fire and law enforcement services.

Fire Chief Jim Wilson said such emergencies present learning experiences. “We have learned a lot. It will certainly pay off in the future,” he told the board. “We need to ensure that when we have a potential disaster, we declare early and often and have our foot in the door,” for federal and state help.