Three firefighters died and two others were burned during a fast-moving fire near the Colorado-Utah border as extreme heat, wind and drought intensified wildfire activity across the West.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Three firefighters were killed and two others suffered burn injuries after being overtaken by flames while battling fast-moving wildfires near the Colorado-Utah border, federal officials said.
The firefighters were caught in a burnover incident Saturday in Mesa County, Colorado, where they deployed emergency shelters as fires burned through hot, windy terrain. The U.S. Interior Department said the firefighters were part of an interagency response to the Knowles and Gore fires, which later merged with other fires to form the Snyder Fire.
The firefighters worked for the U.S. Wildland Fire Service and the U.S. Forest Service. Their names were being withheld until family members could be notified, the Interior Department said.
The Snyder Fire has burned about 44 square miles. Weather conditions in the area were severe, with Grand Junction reaching 93 degrees Fahrenheit and winds gusting to 44 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
The U.S. Wildland Fire Service, which was created earlier this year to coordinate firefighting and fire reduction across public lands, said it “stands united” with the Forest Service in grief and support for the families of those killed.
“Their bravery, dedication, and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” the agency said.
The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office urged residents in the possible path of the fire to evacuate and asked people to turn on irrigation water to saturate the land.
The federal Bureau of Land Management closed nearby public lands under its control, saying the decision was made to protect firefighters and the public from dangerous fire behavior.
“Firefighter and public safety are the highest priority,” the agency said.
“The temporary closing of the lands is to reduce exposure to hazardous situations due to the rapid rates of spread and fire behavior that the fire has exhibited,” the agency said.
“The public is to remain clear of these closed lands,” the statement read.
The deaths came as wildfire activity intensified across the western United States. Consecutive days of hot, dry and windy conditions have fueled new and growing fires in Utah, Arizona and other states.
In southwest Utah, the Cottonwood Fire became the largest active blaze in the region. It expanded Saturday to more than 144 square miles after moving through canyons and mountainsides, destroying part of a ski resort and summer cabins along the way.
Authorities in Beaver County began working with fire teams Saturday to assess the damage, though no estimate was immediately available.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox described the situation as bleak in a social media post but thanked crews for what he called “several miraculous stops and saves.”
The fire’s location has made suppression difficult. Alyssa Mason, a spokesperson assigned to the blaze, said cliffs and steep slopes have slowed firefighters’ ability to use heavy equipment.
“It’s hard to get dozers and other heavy equipment into that. It’s hard to get engines into that,” Mason said.
“It doesn’t make it impossible to firefight, but it does just kind of slow things down,” she said.
Hundreds of firefighters have been arriving in Utah to battle new starts and expanding fires during what forecasters described as critical fire weather. Those conditions include dangerously low humidity, high temperatures and gusty winds.
Utah’s wildfire risk has been heightened by record-low snowpack and the state’s warmest winter on record. Much of the West is facing similar conditions, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Nearly 3 million acres have burned nationally since the beginning of the year, exceeding the 10-year average.
The conditions were serious enough for Cox to declare an emergency earlier this week and allow the state to ban fireworks ahead of the July Fourth holiday. State officials said Utah is experiencing one of its most severe wildfire seasons in recent history, driven by historic drought.
Over the past week, Utah has seen an increase in wildfire starts, with each showing what officials described as unprecedented behavior.
State Forester Jamie Barnes said the fires have strained Utah’s wildland firefighting capabilities.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis also declared an emergency Saturday and authorized the use of the National Guard to help fight the fires.
The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings across large portions of the West in recent days, including areas of California, Arizona and New Mexico.
In Arizona, officials south of Grand Canyon National Park said a new wildfire was moving away from Grand Canyon Village and nearby Tusayan on Saturday. About 50 miles away, another fire near Kendrick Mountain prompted Coconino County officials to issue evacuation orders.
Parts of northern Arizona lost power Saturday after the local utility began a public safety shut-off to reduce wildfire risk. Such shutoffs have become more common across the West as utilities weigh wind speeds, dry vegetation, terrain and other conditions that can increase the chance of power equipment sparking a fire.
Rocky Mountain Power also shut off power lines serving Beaver County and other parts of Utah as extreme fire conditions persisted.
The firefighter deaths in Colorado underscored the danger crews are facing across the region as heat, drought, wind and difficult terrain drive rapid fire growth and force evacuations, closures and emergency declarations in multiple states.
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