Willow Fire in Lake County, Colorado
Declared Jul 5, 2026. Incident period Jul 5, 2026 – continuing. Households in Lake County could not apply to FEMA under this declaration.
The three programs
Individual Assistance
Households apply to FEMA directly for help with temporary housing, home repairs and other uninsured losses.
Residents of Lake County could not apply to FEMA under this declaration.
Public Assistance
FEMA reimburses state and local governments, tribes and some nonprofits for debris removal, emergency response and rebuilding public roads, buildings and utilities.
Local governments in Lake County could be reimbursed. Residents don't apply for this.
Hazard Mitigation
Grants for projects that reduce future damage, such as buyouts of flood-prone homes, elevating buildings or safe rooms. Local governments apply, not homeowners. Often declared statewide.
No mitigation grants tied to this declaration for Lake County.
What a fire management declaration means
A fire management assistance declaration is approved by a FEMA regional administrator, not the President, while a fire is burning and threatens to become a major disaster. It reimburses state, local and tribal firefighting costs. It does not include help for individual households.
Why the dates matter
The incident period is the official window of the disaster. Damage generally has to happen inside it to count for FEMA assistance. Other help follows disaster declarations under each agency's own rules: IRS deadline relief, special enrollment periods for health coverage, disaster SNAP and SBA loans. Some can start without a FEMA declaration at all, and disaster SNAP needs Individual Assistance. Check with each agency.
How it unfolded
FEMA spending in Lake County
No spending has been recorded for this county yet. FEMA obligates money over months and years after a declaration.
The whole declaration
FM-5644-CO designated 1 area in Colorado; households could apply in 0.