Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today announced that FEMA has approved New Mexico's request for fire management assistance declaration for the Little Lewis Fire burning in Otero County.

Under the declaration, the state is now eligible for funding through the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program (FMAGP), which provides for the "mitigation, management, and control" of fires burning on publicly or privately owned forest or grasslands which threaten such destruction as would constitute a major disaster.

"New Mexico has its hands full battling multiple fires at once.  This FEMA designation will provide much-needed support to put these fires out," Bingaman said.

At the time of the request the fire was threatening 250 homes in and around the communities of Sacramento and Weed with a combined population of 400.  Seventy-five percent of the threatened homes are primary residences, and twenty-five percent are secondary residences.  The fire was also threatening numerous buildings, equipment, infrastructure, and utilities in the area.  Mandatory evacuations were issued for approximately 250 people.  The fire started on June 29, 2011, and had burned in excess of 1,200 acres of Federal, State, and private land.

Under the terms of the grant, the federal government picks up 75 percent of the share of firefighting costs associated with the following:

• Equipment and supplies;
• Emergency work and operations centers;
• Personal comfort and safety items for firefighter health and safety;
• Mobilization and demobilization costs;
• Temporary repair of damage caused by firefighting activities;
• Mitigation, management, and control of declared fires burning on co-mingled federal land, when such costs are not reimbursable by another federal agency.