It has been a long 10 days for the people fighting the Jennings Creek Fire in New York and New Jersey. The fire which began on November 8th continues to burn after a weekend where firefights worked through the night to keep the flames away from homes in Greenwood Lake.

Fortunately, after a setback late Saturday afternoon, the crews working the fire lines were able to keep the fire from burning down any homes. Reports on Sunday from the Town of Warwick have things look up and they are looking cautiously at the fact that they might have this fire out soon.

All that said there was some good news Friday from FEMA Region 2. The administrator at FEMA Region 2 has authorized federal funds to assist the State of New York combating the Jennings Creek wildfire.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Region 2 Administrator authorized the use of federal funds on Nov. 15 to assist the state of New York in combating the Jennings Creek Wildfire, currently burning in Orange County, New York. FEMA Region 2 Administrator David Warrington approved the state's request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) this morning. VIA FEMA Press Release 11-15-2024)

This means that there will be federal money coming in to help New York State with the cost incurred while fighting the Jennings Creek Fire. Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAG) will help pay for the costs that continue to mount as the fire continues to burn. Items such as camps, equipment use fees, materials, supplies including mobilization and demobilization.

According to a statement released Friday from the FEMA Region 2 desk 650 structures in New York State have been threaten by the Jennings Creek Fire. 500 homes which were mostly in the Towns of Warwick and Tuxedo Park were part of that number. The fire covers an area affecting about 32,000 people. On Friday when the grant release was issued it was estimate that over 2,100 acres had been burned including state and private land in New York.

Unfortunately Fire Management Assistance Grants do not help individual people. They do not provide any assistance to home and business owners in the area of the fire. You can find out more about this type of grant and other grants that might help you by visiting fema.gov. FEMA's mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.