DENVER—Colorado is freeing up more money to help pay for fighting the wildfire burning near Loveland, the second major wildfire to hit the state in a week.
An executive order issued Monday provides up to $3 million for the latest fire. However, after spending $5.2 million on the fire near Boulder, the state’s emergency fund only had $200,000 left in it. So Gov. Bill Ritter has taken $2.9 million from a state insurance fund to shore up the emergency fund.
If all the money is spent, the latest move will leave just $100,000 in the emergency fund. However, the state is eligible to recoup 75 percent of firefighting costs from the federal government.
The Boulder fire has cost $8.3 million to fight but some of that was spent by the federal government.
