Three firefighters have lost their lives while battling a fast-moving wildfire along the Colorado-Utah border, officials said. The firefighters, identified as Emily Barker, 38, of Clinton Township, Michigan, Nick Hutcherson, 27, of Glendale, Arizona, and Sydney Watson, 27, of Warrior, Alabama, died in a “burnover incident,” an extremely dangerous scenario in which firefighting crews are overtaken by a fast-moving blaze with no viable escape route or safety zone.
Wildfires Rage Across the West
The wildfires have prompted Utah to impose sweeping restrictions on Fourth of July fireworks ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday. The National Interagency Fire Center has increased the national preparedness level to Level 4 of 5 “in response to current and anticipated national fire activity,” which means national resources are “heavily committed” to help combat fires across the US.
The Aspen Acres Fire in southern Colorado is an example of those dangerous conditions at work. The fire, which started early Monday morning, has now grown to 23,000 acres as howling winds have stymied local firefighting efforts, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office said.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency Saturday in Mesa County in reaction to the Snyder Fire, which he said had crossed into Colorado from Utah, and authorized the state’s National Guard to support response efforts.
In the Aspen Acres Fire, evacuation orders have forced about 4,200 people from their homes as the fire continues to rapidly grow, Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero said in a Monday news briefing. Residents in parts of neighboring Custer County were also told to evacuate.
High winds continue to fuel the fire, swallowing multiple residences and preventing firefighters from using air support, Lucero said. No injuries have been reported, he said.
Fire Restrictions in Place
Many counties across Colorado have banned fireworks ahead of the Fourth of July, but Polis also encouraged people “to exercise personal responsibility” with fireworks or other things that might start a fire.
“We owe it to the firefighters on the front lines to prevent new fires from starting,” he said during a news conference Monday.
Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.
