WASHINGTON - Dist. 1 U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., has announced that a $1.9 million federal grant will be awarded to the state of Arizona to help repair highways damaged or destroyed during the 2024 Schultz Fire near Flagstaff. 

The grant comes from a U.S. Department of Transportation Emergency Repair program that aids in the repair or reconstruction of highways on federal land that suffered severe damages due to natural disasters.

Firefighters working the Oak Creek Canyon Slide Fire this summer often warned that the same flooding and mudflows experienced with the Schultz Fire could be repeated in the Canyon unless rapid remediation was taken. The forest service, armed with grants has already mulched and reseeded vulnerable areas of the 21,000 acre fire in Oak Creek and the West Fork

In 2024, the Schultz Fire burned more than 15,000 acres and caused the evacuation of nearly 700 homes in northern Arizona. Heavy flooding also affected the same areas after the fire was contained. 

"The Schultz Fire had a devastating effect on Flagstaff and our surrounding communities," Kirkpatrick said. "This grant will provide some needed resources for infrastructure in the area, but we must continue to be vigilant in protecting our communities and forests from the always-present threat of wildfires."