Governor Tours Robertson Draw Fire Site, Receives Incident Command Briefing

• June 17 2021

BELFRY, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today toured the Robertson Draw Fire and received a briefing from incident command.

“High winds and temperatures quickly grew the Robertson Draw fire to more than 20,000 acres, threatening the communities of Red Lodge, Belfry, and surrounding areas,” Gov. Gianforte said. “I’m grateful to our wildland firefighters and other first responders who have been working tirelessly over the last four days to contain this fire and protect Montanans and their homes.”

The Robertson Draw Fire, which started June 13, has burned over 24,000 acres, and threatened the communities of Red Lodge, Belfry, and surrounding areas. Evacuation orders and warnings as well as closures are in place for many areas near the fire.

The source of the fire has been ruled human caused and investigations continue.

“It’s up to each of us to prevent wildfires and reduce the burden on our firefighting resources. I’m asking all Montanans to take precautions when working or recreating outdoors,” Gov. Gianforte said.

Yesterday, the governor announced that the state had secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) from FEMA to assist with costs associated with fighting the fire.

The grants make FEMA funding available to pay up to 75 percent of the state’s eligible firefighting costs. Eligible costs include materials, supplies, mobilization and demobilization, equipment use, and expenses for field camps.

Additionally, each FMAG generates over $550,000 in federal mitigation funding.

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