Three Firefighters Killed, Two Injured in Utah-Colorado Wildfire Incident
Three federal firefighters died and two were seriously injured while battling the Knowles and Gore wildfires along the Utah-Colorado border, officials said.
Three federally employed firefighters were killed and two others were seriously injured Saturday while fighting the Knowles and Gore wildfires near the Utah-Colorado border, according to the U.S. Wildland Fire Service. The incident occurred in Mesa County, Colorado, when a burn-over trapped the crew, who had deployed their emergency shelters. The victims' names have not been released.
State officials said the fires have merged into a single blaze covering about 28,000 acres and prompting pre-evacuation orders and road closures in the area. The blaze threatens structures in Mesa County and is part of a larger complex of fires that includes the Jones and Snyder fires in Utah.
Governor Spencer Cox issued a statement expressing condolences and prayers for the families of the fallen firefighters, the injured crew members, and other personnel still on the line.
The incident marks the first reported fatalities linked to Utah wildfires this season, as other large fires continue to burn across the region, including the Cottonwood Fire, which has burned more than 92,000 acres in Beaver and Piute Counties.
