FEMA AUTHORIZES FUNDS TO FIGHT BUFFALO FIRE
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20210719/fema-authorizes-funds-fight-buffalo-fire]


Release Date: 
July 19, 2021 

DENVER – Friday evening, FEMA authorized the use of federal funds to
help with firefighting costs for the Buffalo Fire burning in
Yellowstone County, Montana near Huntley.

FEMA Acting Regional Administrator Tammy Littrell approved the
state’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant
(FMAG) after receiving the request Friday evening and determining that
the fire threatened such destruction that it would constitute a major
disaster.

At the time of the request, the Buffalo Fire was threatening 285
homes, which were under an evacuation order. The fire started Friday
and has burned more than 325 acres.

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. It is a
reimbursable program. 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 are 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.

When there is an FMAG authorization, additional funding is made
available through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) Post Fire
for the mitigation of wildfire and related hazards, such as flood
after fire or erosion. Some eligible wildfire project types include
defensible space measures, ignition-resistant construction, and
hazardous fuels reduction.

For more information on FMAGs, visit 
https://www.fema.gov/fire-management-assistance-grants-program-details.
For HMGP Post Fire, visit
https://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-grant-program-post-fire.