Federal Funds Authorized to Help Fight Another Texas Wildfire
Release Date: September 1, 2000
Release Number: HQ-00-044a
Washington, D.C. -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized federal funds to help Texas battle another uncontrolled wildfire located in Eastland County.
According to the agency, the state's request for federal fire suppression aid was approved last night after it was reported that the 3,000-acre Ranger Hill fire posed a threat to 200 homes near the town of Strawn.
The authorization is the third granted for the state since late last week and the sixth for this year. The other designated fires were the Live Oak Loop fire in Hill County (August 26); the Chicken fire in Nacogdoches County (August 24), the Bob's Trail fire in Bastrop County (January 5), the Purgatory fire in Comal County (January 4), and the Saddleback fire in Wise County (January 3).
Under the authorizations, FEMA will pay 70 percent of the state's eligible firefighting costs that are above $355,097. The figure, called a floor cost, is derived through a formula based on the state's five-year annual average cost for fighting fires.
Federal fire suppression aid is provided through the President's Disaster Relief Fund and made available by FEMA to assist in fighting fires when they threaten to cause a major disaster. Eligible state firefighting costs covered by the aid can include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; tools, materials and supplies; and mobilization and demobilization activities.
Last Modified: Monday, 17-Nov-2003 10:55:11