Colorado has formally appealed the Trump administration’s decision to deny requests for federal disaster declarations tied to two wildfires and flooding last year.

Gov. Jared Polis said the state asked the federal government to reconsider its denials for the Elk and Lee fires and the flooding that hammered Western Colorado.

“We are submitting these appeals to help ensure that the Colorado communities impacted can get the support they deserve to recover more quickly,” the governor said in a news release. “Whether fires or floods, Coloradans have been deeply impacted by these natural disasters. With this appeal, we hope that the federal government steps in to help Coloradans recover stronger.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency earlier said the damage from the incidents was not severe enough to merit a disaster declaration.

The Lee fire burned more than 137,000 acres, becoming the fourth-largest fire in Colorado history. At the same time, the Elk fire tore through nearly 15,000 acres. Together, they burned more than 237 square miles, “larger than the City of Chicago,” the governor’s office said.

The fires caused some $27 million in damages, the office said.

The flooding in Western Colorado caused some $13 million in damages to roads and infrastructure, the governor’s office added.

A White House spokesperson earlier said the Trump administration responds to each request for federal disaster assistance “with great care and consideration, ensuring American tax dollars are used appropriately and efficiently by the states to supplement — not substitute — their obligation to respond to and recover from disasters.”

The White House denied any “politicization” in decisions on disaster aid.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.