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 Chateau fire in Teller County, Colorado.
FEMA Regional Administrator Lee dePalo approved the state’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) after receiving the state’s request Saterday afternoon.
At the time of the request, the fire was threatening 500 homes in and around Cripple Creek, Colorado. The fire was also threatening infrastructure, utilities, and the Fountain Creek Watershed in the area. Mandatory evacuations were taking place for approximately 211 homes. The fire started on June 29th, 2018 and has burned in excess of 666 acres of private land.
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.