STATE News:
DENTON, Texas – The state of New Mexico has been awarded nearly $2.5 million in federal disaster assistance in the aftermath of the Tres Lagunas Fire that happened in late May, early June 2013.
The funding, which is made possible by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Fire Management Assistance Grant Program, serves as reimbursement for firefighting costs incurred while fighting the fire.
In 2013, the Tres Lagunas Fire threatened hundreds of homes, as well as roads and bridges, and burned thousands of acres of land in San Miguel County. The Fire Management Assistance Grant Program provides a 75 percent federal cost share, with the state paying the remaining 25 percent for actual costs.
Before a grant can be awarded, the state must demonstrate that total eligible costs for the declared fire meet or exceed either the individual fire cost threshold – which is applied to single fires, or the cumulative fire cost threshold, which recognizes smaller fires burning throughout a state.
Eligible firefighting costs may include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; tools, materials and supplies; and mobilization and demobilization activities.
