Nevada is once again asking the federal government for help covering the costs of a major fire.
The difference this time is they’ve got help in Congress.
Kacey KC, Nevada’s state forester and fire warden, is appealing to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help recouping costs associated with the South Sugarloaf Fire that burned about 230,000 acres, an area more than twice the size of Carson City.
It’s Nevada’s second attempt at convincing FEMA to award the state a Fire Management Assistance Grant to offset South Sugarloaf costs. The agency denied the initial request on August 24, a move that drew criticism from members of the Congressional delegation representing Northern Nevada who said the agency doesn’t fully appreciate the damage fires inflict on lightly populated, rural communities.