This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
Wyoming will receive $7.5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds to help pay for the 2024 wildfires in Campbell and Johnson counties.
The House Draw, Flat Rock and Constitution fires burned more than a quarter of a million acres, hundreds of miles of fence and rangeland that supports local cattle and sheep ranchers.
FEMA’s funds will reimburse the state for the following:
- $4.5 million to the Wyoming State Forestry Division for fire suppression measures relating to the Horse [House] Draw Fire in Johnson County, including fire line suppression, structure protection, fire line construction, mop-up, evacuation operations and other services provided.
- $1.5 million to the Wyoming State Forestry Division for fire suppression measures relating to the Flat Rock Fire in Campbell County, including fire line suppression, structure protection, fire line construction, mop-up and evacuation operations and other services provided.
- $1.5 million to the Wyoming State Forestry Division for fire suppression measures relating to the Constitution Fire in Campbell County, including fire line suppression, structure protection, fire line construction, mop-up and evacuation operations and other services provided.
In December 2024, the state estimated that suppressing the House Draw Fire cost a total of $6.5 million, the Flat Rock Fire cost $3.5 million and the Constitution Fire cost $3 million. The state will share some of the cost of fighting these fires with FEMA.
WyoFile reported Johnson County’s preliminary evaluation estimated House Draw Fire caused an estimated $25 million in economic damage to private property losses.
Campbell, Sheridan and Johnson counties are also asking FEMA to fund a $1 million mapping initiative to identify burning coal seams, which can trigger more wildfires and present other risks. The Bureau of Land Management last week issued a public safety notice about actively burning coal seam fires in northern Campbell and eastern Sheridan counties.
