Three firefighters have died battling a fast-moving blaze along the Colorado-Utah border, officials said, as dozens of infernos rage across the West, with Utah imposing sweeping restrictions on Fourth of July fireworks ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday.
Firefighter Deaths and Wildfire Restrictions
The three firefighters died while battling wildfires that later became known as the fast-growing Snyder Fire, which as of Monday had burned more than 30,000 acres along the Utah-Colorado border, the US Wildland Fire Service said.
Utah’s governor announced last week firework restrictions for the Fourth of July, saying a historic drought, hundreds of wildfires and unprecedented fire behavior have stretched Utah’s firefighting resources to the brink.
“Utahns love celebrating the Fourth of July with family, friends and fireworks. I do too. But this year is different,” Gov. Spencer Cox said. “We are seeing fire behavior that even our most experienced firefighters say they’ve never witnessed before.”
Wildfires Across the West
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.
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.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
