Three wildland firefighters were killed and two others injured in a burnover incident as they battled an outbreak of several fires along the Utah-Colorado border on Saturday.
The U.S. Wildland Fire Service and U.S. Forest Service firefighters were part of an interagency response to the blazes and were assigned to the Knowles and Gore fires, the U.S. Department of the Interior said in a news release Sunday.
A burnover incident occurs when flames overtake firefighters or equipment. The Department of the Interior reported the firefighters deployed a fire shelter as the flames moved in. The two firefighters who survived sustained burn injuries.
The names of the three firefighters who were killed and information about conditions of the injured were not released.
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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis mourned the deaths in a statement Sunday.
“The men and women who serve on the front lines of these fires risk their lives to keep us safe and to protect the lands and communities we love,” Polis said. “To the loved ones of those lost, and to their fellow crew members — some who are still battling the flames — know that the State of Colorado mourns alongside you.”
Polis declared an emergency for the Snyder Mesa area of Western Colorado on Saturday where the fire is burning, and authorized the deployment of the National Guard to help recover the remains of the firefighters who were killed, according to the news release. The two injured firefighters were evacuated by helicopter by the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called for prayers following the firefighters’ deaths in a social media post on Sunday.
“Today, we mourn three heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice protecting lives and communities along the Utah-Colorado border,” Cox said. “Please join Abby and me in praying for their loved ones, those who were injured, and every firefighter still on the line.”
Mapping of the outline of the Snyder Fire in western Colorado. (Colorado Department of Public Safety)
The small fires on Bureau of Land Management-administered land in the Snyder Mesa area started by lightning between Friday and Saturday, according to the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit. The blazes grew and merged, fueled by extreme weather, the agency reported. The combined fire area is estimated to be 28,000 acres with 0% containment as of Sunday.
The agency reported firefighting crews were evaluating conditions Sunday to determine the safest options to continue fighting the fires.
Public lands in the area are closed and nearby communities have received pre-evacuation warnings, according to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office.
