Five more counties added to wildfire declaration list

It comes a day after the IRS granted other hard-hit counties an extension on some taxes.

ContributedA map of burned area in Kittitas County, one of the newly eligible counties for state assistance. Courtesy of InciWeb Wildfire Map

OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – More Washington residents impacted by this summer’s wildfires are now eligible for assistance.

Gov. Bob Ferguson announced that five more counties can now apply for state emergency assistance.

The Washington State Individual Assistance Program and the Family Emergency Assistance Program can now be accessed by those displaced by wildfires in Grant, Benton, Columbia, Kittitas and Whitman counties.

Housing protections have also been extended to the five counties, preventing landlords or property owners from evicting tenants who had to evacuate.

My Bellingham Now previously reported that some of the more hard-hit areas of the state were recently granted federal tax extensions by the IRS. These five new counties have not yet been included in tax extensions with the federal government.

Gov. Ferguson adds that he plans to ask President Trump to issue a major disaster declaration for the impacted areas once damage assessment is complete.