DENVER - This evening, FEMA authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Cottonwood Fire burning in Beaver County, Utah near Beaver.

FEMA Region 8 approved the state's request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) after receiving the request this evening and determining that the fire threatened such destruction that it would constitute a major disaster.

At the time of the request, the Cottonwood Fire was threatening more than 300 homes, along with utilities and critical infrastructure. The fire started yesterday and has burned more than 27,000 acres.

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 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.

For more information on FMAGs, visit https://www.fema.gov/fire-management-assistance-grants-program-details.

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