The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant for the Hydra Fire in Bosque County, Gov. Greg Abbott announced in a Sept. 16 news release. The blaze has threatened homes and infrastructure and prompted local evacuations in Central Texas.
As of that morning, the fire had burned an estimated 1,100 acres and was roughly 25% contained, according to the governor’s office, which said the fire prompted evacuations and threatened more than 200 homes in the surrounding area. State and local response personnel remain actively engaged in suppression, containment and public safety operations.
“Texas will provide all necessary resources to protect Texans from the Hydra Fire,” Abbott said in the release. “I thank the Trump Administration for this assistance, and the first responders working on the ground to keep communities safe. Texans should remain vigilant, follow the guidance of state and local officials, and take every precaution to prevent additional wildfires.”
The grant makes the state eligible for 75% reimbursement from the federal government for eligible wildfire suppression costs, the release said. Such grants are available to states and local jurisdictions to support the mitigation, management and control of fires that threaten to become major disasters.
At the governor’s direction, state wildfire response resources remain deployed by the Texas Division of Emergency Management to support local wildfire response efforts across the state, according to the release. TDEM and the Texas Emergency Management Council agencies continue to monitor increased wildfire conditions across Texas.
The governor’s office pointed Texans to TexasReady.gov for wildfire safety tips, tfs.tamu.edu for current fire information and damage.tdem.texas.gov to report wildfire damage.