Polis Declares Emergency for 28,000-Acre Snyder Mesa Fire After 3 Federal Firefighters Die
Updated
Updated · The Colorado Sun · Jun 28
Polis Declares Emergency for 28,000-Acre Snyder Mesa Fire After 3 Federal Firefighters Die
3 articles · Updated · The Colorado Sun · Jun 28
Summary
Three federal firefighters were killed and two injured Saturday in a burnover on the Knowles and Gore fires near the Colorado-Utah border after high winds trapped their crew.
More than 28,000 acres had burned by Saturday afternoon as the Knowles and Gore fires merged with other blazes into the Snyder Mesa Fire and crossed into Colorado west of Fruita and Grand Junction.
Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency and authorized Colorado National Guard support as the fire spread through the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area.
The Interior Department and Forest Service said the firefighters deployed shelters as flames overtook their position and did not identify the dead, saying they were focused on supporting families and colleagues.
The fatal incident followed a broader Western Slope outbreak in which lightning sparked multiple fires, pre-evacuation notices were issued in western Mesa County, and extreme wind had already forced crews to pull back.