GLOBE, Ariz. — Editor's Note: The above video is from an earlier broadcast in June.
The Tonto National Forest has been allocated $2.3 million to repair infrastructure damaged by the Telegraph Fire earlier this year.
The Telegraph Fire, one of the state's largest wildfires this year, burned 180,757 acres alone in the Tonto forest before being fully contained. The fire originated near Superior on June 4 and its cause is still under investigation.
Tonto's managers requested funding from the National Burned Area Emergency Response to fix over 60 miles of boundary fencing that was destroyed by the fire.
The $2.3 million will be provided through a new pilot program that authorizes the repair of minor national forest land facilities and infrastructure damaged by wildfires.
“We received approval for 100% of the funding we requested. It’s one of the largest amounts awarded for range infrastructure replacement under the pilot program since its inception in 2020,” said Ecosystems Staff Officer and BAER Team Leader Mike Martinez.
The Forest Service plans to install all the new fencing by the end of 2022.
Earlier this year, Gov. Doug Ducey authorized a $100 million plan to help combat the Telegraph Fire and its aftermath on communities around Globe and Superior.
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