DENVER — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Station Fire in Natrona County.
FEMA Acting Regional Administrator Sharon Richey approved the state’s request for a Federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) after receiving the state’s request at 9:00 p.m. MDT Sunday evening. At the time of the request, the fire was threatening 350 homes in and around the Coal Creek and Meadow Acres subdivisions. Evacuations were in place and affected approximately 200 people. The fire was also threatening power lines and a nearby oil refinery at the time of the request.
The authorization makes FEMA funding available to pay 75 percent of the state’s eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating and controlling designated fires. These grants do not provide assistance to individual home or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire.
Fire Management Assistance Grants are provided through the President’s Disaster Relief Fund and made available by FEMA to assist in fighting fires that threaten to cause a major disaster. Eligible items can include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; mobilization and demobilization activities; and tools, materials and supplies.