CASCADE, Idaho — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved the use of federal funding at Idaho's request to help fight the Four Corners Fire, which is threatening homes, power lines and even the city of Cascade.
The funds will cover 75% of the state's costs to battle the fire, according to a FEMA news release. FEMA Region 10 administrator Willie G. Nunn determined that the Four Corners Fire threatened to cause "such destruction as would constitute a major disaster."
This is the first use of the grant to help fight Idaho wildfires.
The Four Corners Fire is currently 0% contained. Residents in the Cascade area are evacuating due to the possible threat of the fire breaching their properties.
The FEMA 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 such a major disaster, it said.
According to the release, items that are eligible to be covered under the grant include expenses for equipment use, repair, replacement, mobilization and demobilization activities, tools, materials and supplies. However, the grants do not provide assistance to home and business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire, it said.
An extra $786,522 will be accessible to Idaho through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program after the fire is contained for the mitigation of future wildfires and related disasters.