FEMA Assisting With Cost To Fight Baird Springs Fire Near Quincy

FEMA is authorizing the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs at the Baird Springs Fire west of Quincy.

A FEMA administrator has determined the fire qualifies as a natural disaster because it's a threat to cause destruction.

It's the third grant this season from the agency to help fight wildfires in Washington.

The request from the state was granted based on the fire being a threat to homes, nearby campgrounds, a large boat launch, golf course, agriculture and tourism businesses, and fishing.

A statement from FEMA also stated Grant County PUD and Bonneville Power Administration infrastructure was threatened as was Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail lines.

The federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) was approved by FEMA Region 10 Administrator Willie G. Nunn on Tuesday at 1:25 a.m.

The authorization makes FEMA funding available to pay 75 percent of the state’s eligible firefighting costs.

The money can be used to pay expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair, and replacement; mobilization and demobilization activities; and tools, materials, and supplies.

The grants do not provide assistance to individual home or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire.

In addition to the firefighting funds, another $1,225,032 will be available to Washington through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) Post Fire for the mitigation of future wildfires and related hazards, such as flooding erosion after fires.

Some eligible wildfire project types include defensible space measures, ignition-resistant construction, and hazardous fuels reduction.

The Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 authorizes FEMA to provide HMGP Post-Fire funds to eligible states and territories that receive Fire Management Assistance declarations and federally recognized tribes that have land burned within a designated area.