State Forester Bill Crapser says this year’s wildfires have consumed all the money the state had set aside for fire suppression.
Crapser says the season depleted both the state’s entire fire suppression emergency account and its standard fire suppression budget for the entire two-year budget period.
An estimated 1,300 to 1,400 fires burned about 600,000 acres in Wyoming.
Wyoming’s share of fighting wildfires this season will total an estimated $42 million.
Crapser told the Legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee last week that the total cost of fighting the fires was an estimated $108.5 million. The federal government will pick up most of the costs.
The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports that Gov. Matt Mead intends to increase funding for fire suppression efforts even though the state is looking to make budget cuts.
Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Orion180 Files for IPO, Eyeing Home and Flood Insurance Market 
State Farm Must Give Up Trade Secrets in Claims Lawsuits, but Under Court Review 
Tornado Alley’s on the Move and Creating New Risk Concerns, Modeler Says 
Lawsuit Alleges TWIA Fraudulently Reduced Claim Estimates From Hurricane Beryl 
