By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- FEMA Region 10 approved Fire Management Assistance Grants on August 2 for three Washington wildfires determined to threaten major disasters: the Sinlahekin, Fairview, and Autumn Lane fires.
- The grants will reimburse Washington state for up to 75% of eligible wildfire suppression expenses for the three fires.
- The Sinlahekin fire, burning 74,000 acres in Okanogan County, threatened critical infrastructure including state-owned dams, water systems, WSU radio infrastructure, and the Tonasket Police Department headquarters; the fire also damaged a major power transmission line supplying electricity to approximately half of Okanogan County.
- The Fairview fire northeast of the Old Trails fire destroyed approximately 700 structures and threatened Bonneville Power Administration lines, railway infrastructure, and farmland in Spokane County.
- The Autumn Lane fire, burning north of the Old Trails fire, threatened state and local parks, utilities, schools, fire district facilities, and a ranger station; these are the seventh, eighth, and ninth FMAG declarations for Washington wildfires in 2026.
SPOKANE, WASH. — The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved Fire Management Assistance Grants on August 2 for three Washington wildfires that threatened to escalate into major disasters, authorizing federal reimbursement of a substantial portion of state firefighting costs.
FEMA Region 10 Acting Regional Administrator Vincent J. Maykovich approved state requests for the Sinlahekin, Fairview, and Autumn Lane fires. The approval determination stated that the three fires threatened to cause such destruction as would constitute a major disaster.
The Sinlahekin fire, burning approximately 74,000 acres in Okanogan County, threatened multiple critical facilities and infrastructure. The fire threatened state-owned dams, a wastewater treatment plant, raw water reservoirs, finished water systems, microwave sites, and Washington State University radio infrastructure. The fire also threatened the Tonasket Police Department headquarters. The Sinlahekin fire damaged a major power transmission line supplying electricity to approximately half of Okanogan County.
The Fairview fire, located northeast of the Old Trails fire in Spokane County, destroyed approximately 700 structures. The fire threatened private utilities, Bonneville Power Administration power lines, railway infrastructure, and farmland.
The Autumn Lane fire, burning north of the Old Trails fire, threatened state and local parks, utilities, schools, fire district facilities, and a ranger station.
The approved FMAG authorizations permit reimbursement of up to 75% of eligible firefighting expenses incurred by the state during response and suppression operations. Eligible expenses include field camps, supplies and equipment use, and mobilization and demobilization activities attributed to firefighting operations.
The FEMA grants do not provide assistance for infrastructure damage or for individual homes and businesses affected by the fires. These approvals mark the seventh, eighth, and ninth FMAG declarations for Washington wildfires in 2026.