The cost of fighting wildfires continues to grow and it's putting a strain on the US Forest Service.
The cost of fighting wildfires has exceeded the funding level congress provided to the Forest Service for six years in a row.
For the first time in more than 100 years, wildfire costs in fiscal year 2015 totaled more than half the federal agency’s budget.
Shaun Donovan is director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.
"Congress needs to get the job done, ensure not another season goes by that risks more homes, more communities, more water supplies and more importantly, more lives," she said.
A wildfire that’s been burning for three months in Monterey County east of the Big Sur coast has surpassed $200 million in firefighting costs. The Soberanes fire is the costliest wildfire in U.S. history.
This story was produced by Capital Public Radio.