FEMA Authorizes Funds for Colorado’s Alexander Mountain and Stone Canyon Fires

DENVER - FEMA has authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Alexander Mountain Fire burning in Larimer County near Masonville, west of Loveland and the Stone Canyon Fire burning in Boulder County near Lyons.

FEMA Region 8 Deputy Administrator Katherine Fox approved the state's requests for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) after receiving each request this morning and determining that the fires threatened such destruction that it would constitute a major disaster. FEMA remains in contact with the state for any additional requests or needs.

At the time of the request for assistance with the Alexander Mountain Fire, it was threatening more than 2000 homes and other structures, and is also threatening roads, bridges, infrastructure, utilities and watersheds. The fire started on July 29, 2024 and has burned more than 5,000 acres of federal and private land, prompting mandatory evacuations for more than 4,000 people. It is zero-percent contained.

At the time of the request for assistance with the Stone Canyon Fire, the fire was threatening more than 480 homes and other structures as well as roads, bridges, infrastructure and utilities. Two structures have been destroyed and injuries have been sustained by four firefighters. The fire started on July 30, 2024, and has burned more than 1,500 acres of private land. It is zero percent contained.

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 notprovide assistance to individual home or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage.

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. 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.