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 Track Fire burning in Colfax 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.

"Dry conditions in the state add to the already urgent need to quickly contain and extinguish this fire.  I am pleased FEMA was quick to respond the state's request for fire assistance," Bingaman said.

At the time of the request, the fire was threatening approximately 220 homes in Raton.  The fire started on June 12, 2011 and has burned in excess of 2,700 acres and is zero percent contained.  A Type 2 Incident Management Team has been requested and should arrive later today.  Evacuations are currently taking place in Raton for approximately 600 residents in homes and businesses in the vicinity of I-25 north, north of County Road 72 and Sugarite State Park.

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.