President Donald Trump has approved Public Assistance for Colorado's Major Disaster Declaration request, Governor Jared Polis announced Friday, providing federal support to communities recovering from the Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain Fires and subsequent flooding and debris flows.

The Aspen Acres Fire affected Pueblo and Custer counties, and the Gold Mountain Fire affected Ouray County. The Public Assistance designation will allow debris removal from destroyed homes and buildings and repair of damaged public infrastructure, with no cost to homeowners.

"Coloradans hit by the Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain Fires have shown incredible strength, but recovering from big disasters requires federal help. Today's approval of Public Assistance will help our communities clear debris and repair damage to public infrastructure. Removing debris from homes and buildings destroyed is the most important step to begin rebuilding and now that work can occur promptly and at no cost to homeowners just as it did after the Marshall Fire. I thank the President for approving Colorado's Public Assistance request to provide help for our communities to recover and rebuild, and FEMA for working with the state as we submitted our application. We appreciate the ongoing consideration of Colorado's Individual Assistance request, and hope that will also be approved soon. I also thank our entire bipartisan congressional delegation, local leaders, elected officials, first responders, utility providers, business owners, nonprofit organizations, homeowners, and disaster survivors who supported this request. Colorado made a strong bipartisan case for this declaration, and I am deeply appreciative of everyone who has worked together on behalf of these affected communities to help Coloradans in our time of need," said Governor Polis.

The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management will work with FEMA, local governments, and affected communities to implement the Public Assistance program. Colorado's Individual Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Grant Funding requests remain under review.