3 firefighters dead as Utah and Colorado wildfires rage
Three firefighters died and two others were hospitalized June 27 while fighting the Knowles and Gore fires along the Colorado-Utah border, the U.S. Wildland Fire Service announced in a June 28 social media post.
The firefighters were killed and injured during a burnover, which occurs when fire behavior changes and unexpectedly overtakes firefighters, according to a U.S. Forest Service news release.
The Forest Service said that the identities of the firefighters are being withheld pending notifications.
The Knowles and Gore fires merged with the Snyder Mesa Fire to form the Snyder Fire, which has burned an estimated 28,000 acres and stands at 0% containment. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency response to the Snyder fire on June 27.
"Today, we mourn three heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice protecting lives and communities along the Utah-Colorado border," Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said in a social media post.
Utah fires: See map
Fires rage through Utah, Colorado
The Snyder Fire is one of a series of fires raging throughout Utah and Colorado.
The Cottonwood fire in Utah's southwest has burned more than 93,000 acres as of June 28, according to the Forest Service, while the Wild Goose Fire in the center of the state has burned more than 10,000 acres.
In Colorado, the Gold Mountain Fire, burning just north of Ouray is causing pre-evacuation orders, according to a June 28 town of Ouray news release.
Intensifying wildfires in eastern Utah and western Colorado have caused heavy smoke in areas downwind of the fires, including in Telluride, Montrose, Delta, Grand Junction, Gunnison, Aspen, Eagle, Glenwood Springs, Meeker, Craig, Steamboat Springs, Walden and Granby, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's Colorado Smoke Blog page.
Firefighting crews on the Western Slope will face another challenging day June 28 as a red flag warning has been issued for the area, with wind gusts in the 40 to 50 mph range and 7% to 15% relative humidity, according to the National Weather Service in Grand Junction.
The fire conditions led Cox to temporarily restrict fireworks through July 5.
"When the people who’ve dedicated their lives to protecting Utah tell us that this year is different, we need to listen," Cox said in a June 25 social media post. "Our goal is to make sure our neighborhoods and communities are still standing on July 5."
Contributing: Reuters