FEMA Authorizes Funds to Fight Utah’s Widemouth 2 Fire

DENVER - On Sunday afternoon, FEMA authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Widemouth 2 Fire burning in Millard County, Utah just south of Fillmore.

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

At the time of the request, the Widemouth 2 Fire was threatening more than 1,000 homes, which were under an evacuation order. The fire started, which started on July 26 and has burned more than 36,000 acres and is currently 0% 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. 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.