FEMA provides federal funds to help fight Cape Horn Fire

SEATTLE – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Cape Horn Fire, burning in Bonner County and Kootenai County, Idaho.

FEMA Region X Regional Administrator, Kenneth D. Murphy determined that the Cape Horn Fire threatened such destruction as would constitute a major disaster. Murphy approved the state’s request for federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) on July 6, 2015 at 12:44 a.m. PDT. This is the first FMAG approved in Idaho this fire season.

The fire started on July 5, 2015, and had burned approximately 1,200 acres of federal, state and private land. At the time of the request, 6 homes had been destroyed and the fire was threatening 281 homes in the community of Bayview and to the east in the Cape Horn area. Approximately 300 people have evacuated the area. Sheltering operations are ongoing in a local school. The fire is burning in a high use recreation area on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille. The fire threatens a high value marina, the Naval Acoustics Research Station and the heavily used Farragut State Park.  

Firefighting resources onsite include 8 air-tankers, 3 helicopters and 8 engines. A Type II Management Team will arrive Monday afternoon. The fire is at approximately 0 percent containment. There are 11 uncontrolled fires within the state.

The authorization makes FEMA funding available to pay 75 percent of the state of Idaho’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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