Updated
Updated · Arizona's Family · Jun 29
Federal Officials Identify 3 Firefighters Killed in Colorado's 28,000-Acre Knowles Fire
Updated
Updated · Arizona's Family · Jun 29

Federal Officials Identify 3 Firefighters Killed in Colorado's 28,000-Acre Knowles Fire

3 articles · Updated · Arizona's Family · Jun 29

Summary

  • Emily Barker, 38, Nick Hutcherson, 27, and Sydney Watson, 26, were identified as the three firefighters killed Saturday while assigned to the Rifle Helitack crew in western Colorado.
  • The deaths came as the Snyder Fire merged with the Jones Fire and overtook the Knowles and Gore fires along the Colorado-Utah border, where the blaze has burned more than 28,000 acres.
  • Two other firefighters were injured and are receiving medical care, while a serious accident team is investigating what led to the fatalities.
  • Hutcherson was assigned to the U.S. Forest Service's Kaibab National Forest in Arizona; the Interior and Agriculture departments said they are supporting the families of the fallen.

Insights

Three firefighters deployed shelters and died. What failed during the Colorado firestorm?
Is the system designed to protect federal firefighters breaking down amid budget cuts and extreme weather?
As extreme wildfires become the new normal, is our current firefighting strategy fatally flawed?