FEMA Approves More Than $2 Million in Funding to Help Connecticut Recover from Hawthorne Fire

BOSTON - Today, FEMA announced the approval of more than $2 million in post-disaster funding for Fire Management Assistance Grants projects in the State of Connecticut to reimburse the costs of fighting the October 2024 Hawthorne Fire that began on Lamentation Mountain in Berlin. The FMAG Program is available to states, local and tribal governments to reimburse for the management and control of fires on publicly or privately owned forests or grasslands that might constitute a major disaster. This funding is part of nearly $142 million in post-disaster and fire management funding for Public Assistance projects and Fire Management Assistance Grants projects across the six New England states. With this funding, President Donald J. Trump is keeping his promise to reform federal disaster support and ensure that taxpayer money is spent only on projects that deliver safety and security to the American people.

FEMA disburses this money to states and local communities because they are best positioned to know how these funds will be most effectively spent.

Projects reimbursed through Fire Management Assistance Grants funding approved today in Connecticut include:

• Over $1.9 million to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for the cost of fighting the fire, including aircraft, labor and overtime, and contracting for additional fire fighters, district wardens, communications specialists, and manpower to clear old logging roads for access. Aerial suppression was executed by the Connecticut Army National Guard and the Maine Forest Service using Boeing CH-47 Chinook and Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters to drop over 127,000 gallons of water. Approximately 3 rotary-wing aircraft, 10 Utility Terrain Vehicles (UTVs), and 30 fire engines were deployed to this event.
• Over $140,000 to the Town of Berlin for the cost of firefighting activities.

These projects are the latest examples of billions of dollars in disaster recovery provided by FEMA to support state and local communities as they work to rebuild from recent natural disasters.

FEMA continues its renewed commitment to help communities recover from disasters like hurricanes, severe storms, tornadoes and wildfires while making them more resilient from future disasters.