FEMA Authorizes Funds to Help Fight Black Forest and Royal Gorge Fires

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 Royal Gorge Fire in Fremont County and Black Forest Fire in El Paso County.

At the time the State of Colorado submitted the requests for a fire management assistance declaration for both fires were threatening homes, businesses and infrastructure. Hundreds of people had been evacuated in both areas.

FEMA Acting Regional Administrator Doug Gore determined each of the fires threatened such destruction as would constitute a major disaster, and the state’s requests for Fire Management Assistance Grants were approved for both fires.

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.