Federal funds authorized to help fight Oregon Gulch Fire

Federal funds authorized to help fight Oregon Gulch Fire

Seattle, WA – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Oregon Gulch Fire, burning in Jackson and Klamath Counties, Oregon.  

FEMA Region X Regional Administrator, Kenneth D. Murphy determined that the Oregon Gulch Fire threatened such destruction as would constitute a major disaster.  Murphy approved the state’s request for federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) on August 1, 2014 at 6:43 p.m. PDT.

On August 1, 2014, the State of Oregon submitted a request for a fire management assistance declaration for the Oregon Gulch Fire, burning in Jackson and Klamath Counties. At the time of the request, 123 homes were threatened and about 40 people had evacuated the area. Two major power transmission lines from a hydroelectric facility had been destroyed and a third transmission line was threatened. The fire was also threatening the municipal watershed area, the Pinehurst municipal airport and an elementary school.  The fire started on July 31, 2014, and has fire has burned approximately 11,000 acres of Federal and private land.  The Firefighting resources committed to the incident include fire crews, structural engines, helicopters, air tankers,  dozers and two teams of National Guard forces. Federal Principal Advisor confirmed the threat to homes and power transmission lines.  The fire is at zero percent containment. 

The authorization makes FEMA funding available to pay 75 percent of Oregon State’s eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating and controlling designated fires. These grants provide reimbursement for firefighting and life-saving efforts. They do not provide assistance to individuals, homeowners 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.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

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