Three firefighters die in Colorado-Utah border wildfire
Three members of a helitack crew were killed while attempting to deploy emergency shelters during a wildfire near the Colorado-Utah border, and two others were injured.
Three firefighters from a specialized helitack crew were killed Saturday while trying to shield themselves with tent-like emergency shelters as a wildfire surged near the Colorado-Utah border, federal officials said. The victims were identified as Emily Barker, 38, of Michigan; Nick Hutcherson, 27, of Arizona; and Sydney Watson, 26, of Alabama. Two other crew members suffered burn injuries and remain hospitalized in the Denver area.
The crew had been inserted by helicopter to contain the rapidly expanding fire, known as the Snyder Fire, which has burned about 44 square miles. The incident marks the first fatality within the newly formed Wildland Fire Service, created earlier this year to coordinate firefighting on public lands.
U.S. Wildland Fire Service Chief Brian Fennessy declined to speculate on the decision to deploy the crew, but affirmed that their presence was based on sound judgment. > "I will say the fact that they were there was, I’m 100% sure, based on good decision-making," he told reporters.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis noted that wind conditions are a major factor in the fire’s behavior. > "We’re really at the mercy of the winds," he said.
The deaths are under investigation by the Forest Service and the Wildland Fire Service, which may issue safety recommendations or convene an accident review board. The national wildfire preparedness level was raised to 4, indicating strained resources as more than two dozen large fires burn across the West.
Fire officials said that while current resources in the Rocky Mountains are sufficient, shortages of hand crews could become a concern if conditions worsen elsewhere.