{"id":136120,"date":"2026-06-29T19:17:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T01:17:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/3-firefighters-killed-in-blazes-along-colorado-utah-border-are-identified\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T19:22:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T01:22:18","slug":"3-firefighters-killed-in-western-wildfire-were-trying-to-shield-themselves-from-flames","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/3-firefighters-killed-in-western-wildfire-were-trying-to-shield-themselves-from-flames\/","title":{"rendered":"3 firefighters killed in Western wildfire were trying to shield themselves from flames"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A
A captain with the Clifton Fire Protection District salutes the passing procession carrying the bodies of three firefighters killed while fighting the Snyder Fire in Grand Junction, Colo. Sunday, June 28, 2026. (Gretel Daugherty via AP)<\/span>(Gretel Daugherty via AP)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) \u2014 Three firefighters killed<\/a> over the weekend in a wildfire along the Colorado-Utah border were trying to shield themselves from flames by deploying tent-like shelters when they were overcome, authorities said.<\/p>\n

The firefighters were part of a specialized crew that goes into remote areas by helicopter to quickly put out new and rapidly escalating wildfires<\/a>, federal officials said Monday.<\/p>\n

Their deaths Saturday came almost 13 years to the day since an elite crew of 19 wildland firefighters<\/a> died when they were trapped in a steep canyon in Yarnell, Arizona.<\/p>\n

Like this weekend’s victims, the men in Arizona tried to deploy emergency shelters<\/a> that are a \u201clast resort\u201d for firefighters when there’s no other way out. Investigators didn’t blame anyone for the deaths in 2013, but cited radio communication problems that contributed to the Granite Mountain Hotshots becoming trapped. Arizona’s workplace safety commission also fined the state’s forestry division for not pulling them out.<\/p>\n

Wildfires have erupted over the past week all across the West, fueled by months of dry weather and a record lack of snow<\/a> in some places this past winter. Wildfire experts have warned for months that extreme fire dangers<\/a> are likely this summer.<\/p>\n

U.S. Wildland Fire Service Chief Brian Fennessy said he would not speculate about whether the crew overrun by the weekend fire in Colorado should have been where they were.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will say the fact that they were there was, I\u2019m 100% sure, based on good decision-making,\u201d Fennessy said during a news conference Monday. \u201cThe fires in this region over the decades, you know, killed many firefighters. They weren\u2019t being foolish. They weren\u2019t being careless. They were there because they thought they could do what needed to be done to suppress that fire. And many times the weather changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

With more than two dozen large fires burning, almost 8,000 wildland firefighters and dozens of firefighting helicopters have been deployed. About half the largest blazes are in Alaska while the rest are mostly in Western states.<\/p>\n

Even as firefighting resources were increasingly strained, evacuations were ordered near seven fires, including in Arizona, Washington state, New Mexico and Utah. About 800 people living in and around the small town of Beulah in eastern Colorado were told to evacuate as a wildfire threatened the area on Monday afternoon, Gov. Jared Polis said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re really at the mercy of the winds,\u201d Polis said.<\/p>\n

Firefighters were part of a specialized crew<\/strong><\/p>\n

The U.S. Forest Service and Interior Department identified the firefighters killed as Emily Barker, 38, of Clinton Township, Michigan; Nick Hutcherson, 27, of Glendale, Arizona; and Sydney Watson, 26, of Warrior, Alabama.<\/p>\n

Two others who were with them sustained burn injuries. They were in stable condition but remained hospitalized in the Denver area, officials said at Monday’s news conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe loss we experience here is not felt by just one agency. It is felt by an entire wildland fire community,\u201d Fennessy said. \u201cWe grieve together, we support one another and we continue the mission together.\u201d<\/p>\n

A long line of fire trucks and vehicles from a wide array of emergency response agencies made their way slowly through Grand Junction, Colorado, Monday with their lights flashing. A scattering of people, some with their hands on their hearts, watched silently from the sidewalk as they passed.<\/p>\n

The procession ended at a cemetery, and the bodies of two of the firefighters draped in American flags were taken into a funeral home as officials from fire agencies saluted.<\/p>\n

The three killed were assigned to a Helitack crew that can be dropped into remote areas by helicopters and whose mission is to prevent new fires from growing into out-of-control blazes. But it can be extremely dangerous, often taking place in areas where fires are rapidly expanding.<\/p>\n

Watson worked for the Wildland Fire Service and the other two firefighters who died were assigned to the Forest Service. All were part of an interagency response to fires just west of Grand Junction.<\/p>\n

The Snyder Fire in the area has burned about 44 square miles (114 square kilometers), authorities said.<\/p>\n

Watson’s death was the first within the the new Wildland Fire Service, which was created within the Department of Interior earlier this year to coordinate firefighting on public lands.<\/p>\n

The deaths are being investigated by the Forest and Wildland Fire services, a process that typically results in recommendations for how to prevent or reduce the risk of a similar accident. Agencies can also convene an accident review board to suggest any further actions.<\/p>\n

High wildfire threat for much of this week<\/strong><\/p>\n

More hot, dry and windy weather across the Southwest will elevate the fire threat at least until the weekend, according to the national Storm Prediction Center.<\/p>\n

Among the concerns were high winds in the mountains of Colorado and Wyoming, in the Black Hills of South Dakota and across portions of the High Plains.<\/p>\n

Utah already has restricted firework usage going into the July Fourth holiday.<\/p>\n

The national \u201cpreparedness level\u201d for wildfires was increased to a 4, on a scale of 1 to 5, the National Interagency Fire Center said Monday. That\u2019s a sign resources are beginning to be strained, and officials warned of a high potential for new, large fires in multiple parts of the country in coming days.<\/p>\n

There are enough firefighting resources for now across the Rocky Mountains to deal with the blazes, said Mike Morgan, director of Colorado\u2019s Division of Fire Prevention and Control. But that could change quickly if conditions worsen in other parts of the country, Morgan said, adding that crews that battle fires on the ground already are in short supply.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know hand crews are always a hot commodity. We’re getting a little short on those, so that would be one I would say we’re a little concerned with,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cAt the moment, I would say I feel pretty good about where we’re at, but I’m very concerned about where we go.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far this year, wildfires have burned more than 4,800 square miles (12,400 square kilometers) \u2014 the most by this point in the year since 2022 and significantly above the 10-year average.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Brown reported from Billings, Montana, and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio.<\/p>\n

\"The
The body of a firefighter who died battling wildfires near the Colorado-Utah border is carried during a procession in Grand Junction, Colo., Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ty ONeil)<\/span>(AP Photo\/Ty ONeil)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"First
First responders hug during a procession in Grand Junction, Colo., Monday, June 29, 2026, for firefighters that died battling blazes near the Colorado-Utah border. (AP Photo\/Ty ONeil)<\/span>(AP Photo\/Ty ONeil)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The Snyder Fire burns near Thompson Springs, Utah, on Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo\/Noah Berger)<\/span>(AP Photo\/Noah Berger)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Law
Law enforcement officers staff a roadblock as the Snyder Fire burns near Mack, Colo., on Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo\/Noah Berger)<\/span>(AP Photo\/Noah Berger)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A captain with the Clifton Fire Protection District salutes the passing procession carrying the bodies of three firefighters killed while fighting the Snyder Fire in Grand Junction, Colo. Sunday, June 28, 2026. (Gretel Daugherty via AP)(Gretel Daugherty via AP) GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) \u2014 Three firefighters killed over the weekend in a wildfire along the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":136150,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5734],"tags":[],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-136120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-associated-press"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136120"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136287,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136120\/revisions\/136287"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136120"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=136120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}