FEMA Authorizes Funds to Fight Montana’s Sand Creek Fire

FEMA has authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Sand Creek Fire burning in Beaverhead County in southwestern Montana.

FEMA Region 8 approved the state's request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) Friday evening after receiving the request and determining that the fire threatened such destruction that it would constitute a major disaster.

At the time of the request, the Sand Creek Fire was threatening more than 170 homes and other infrastructure, including commercial buildings, communications, utilities, transportation, and emergency-response facilities. The Sand Creek Fire started on August 1, 2026 and has burned more than 31,000 acres with 1% containment. The fire is also burning five miles from the uncontained Bobcat Fire, raising the risk the two fires could merge into one larger fire. There are currently several active wildfires in Montana that have burned more than 60,000 acres statewide.

The authorization makes FEMA funding available to pay 75 percent of the state's eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating and controlling designated fires. These grants do not provide assistance to individual home or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire.

Fire Management Assistance 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 a major disaster. Eligible items can include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; mobilization and demobilization activities; and tools, materials and supplies.

For more information on FMAGs, visit https://www.fema.gov/fire-management-assistance-grants-program-details.