BEAVER, Utah (AP) — Three firefighters were killed and two sustained burn injuries when they were overcome by flames from fast-moving wildfires in hot, windy conditions near the Colorado-Utah border.
The firefighters deployed emergency shelters for themselves during the so-called burnover — which occurs when a fire spreads and closes off all escape routes — on Saturday in Mesa County, Colorado, the U.S. Interior Department said.
They worked for the U.S. Wildland Fire Service and U.S. Forest Service and were part of an interagency response to the Knowles and Gore fires, which merged with other fires to form the Snyder Fire. So far, about 44 square miles (114 square kilometers) have burned.
The Wildland Fire Service, created earlier this year to streamline firefighting and fire reduction across public lands, said in a statement that it “stands united” with the Forest Service in grief and “in our unwavering support for the loved ones left behind.”
“Their bravery, dedication, and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” the statement said.
The names of the firefighters who perished were being withheld pending notifications to their loved ones, the Interior Department said.
Temperatures in Grand Junction — east of the fire — hit a high of 93 degrees Fahrenheit (34 degrees Celsius), with winds gusting to 44 mph (71 kph), according to the National Weather Service.
The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office was asking people to evacuate the potential path of the fire and to turn on irrigation water to saturate the land. The federal Bureau of Land Management closed public access to lands it manages nearby.
