Three firefighters killed in Colorado wildfire as blazes keep spreading in the West
Three federal wildland firefighters were killed in a burnover on the Knowles Fire near the Colorado-Utah border on June 27, when the crew was overtaken by fire and forced to deploy emergency shelters. Two others were injured. The Interior Department identified the dead as Emily Barker, 38, of Clinton Township, Michigan; Nick Hutcherson, 27, of Glendale, Arizona; and Sydney Watson, 27, of Warrior, Alabama. Flags were ordered to half-staff and a memorial was held over the weekend.
The deaths came as multiple fires continue to burn across Colorado and neighboring states. The Aspen Acres Fire, south of Colorado Springs across Pueblo and Custer counties, has grown past 86,000 acres and is about 13 percent contained , NPR reported on July 5. Forecasters warned that thunderstorms, high heat and gusty winds would complicate containment, since dry lightning can start new fires and erratic winds can drive existing ones in unpredictable directions — the same conditions that make burnovers deadly.
The season fits a broader pattern of hotter, drier summers stretching firefighting resources across the American West, where federal crews are increasingly asked to hold large fires with limited staffing.