{"id":2943,"date":"2026-06-29T13:04:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T13:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=2943"},"modified":"2026-06-29T13:04:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T13:04:06","slug":"3-firefighters-killed-in-colorado-as-wildfires-stoked-by-heat-wind-rage-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=2943","title":{"rendered":"3 firefighters killed in Colorado as wildfires stoked by heat, wind rage \u2014 VIDEO"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>BEAVER, Utah<\/strong> | Blistering heat and strong winds Sunday stoked wildfires across the West after three firefighters were killed a day earlier in Colorado while battling a blaze along the state\u2019s border with Utah.<\/p>\n<p>The National Weather Service said wildfire conditions \u201cremain critical\u201d across the Southwest, with risk high in the Four Corners region where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah intersect. The agency warned of \u201cextreme fire behavior\u201d along the Utah-Colorado border, where \u201crapid fire growth is likely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m devastated about the loss of three heroic firefighters who died in the line of duty in Western Colorado,\u201d Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement. \u201cThe men and women who serve on the front lines of these fires risk their lives to keep us safe and to protect the lands and communities we love. To the loved ones of those lost, and to their fellow crew members \u2013 some who are still battling the flames \u2013 know that the State of Colorado mourns alongside you. \u201cThe State is working closely with the Bureau of Land Management and local officials and firefighters to deploy any and all resources needed to fight these fires, including the Colorado National Guard, and to recover the three firefighters who were lost. I am receiving continuous updates from my public safety team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The firefighters were killed and two sustained burn injuries when they were overcome Saturday by flames from fast-moving fires. They deployed emergency protective shelters during the so-called burnover \u2014 which occurs when a fire spreads and closes off all escape routes \u2014 in Mesa County, the U.S. Interior Department said.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>They worked for the U.S. Wildland Fire Service and U.S. Forest Service and were part of an interagency response to the Knowles and Gore fires, which merged with other fires to form the Snyder Fire. So far, about 44 square miles (114 square kilometers) have burned.<\/p>\n<p>The Wildland Fire Service, created earlier this year to streamline firefighting on public lands, said in a statement that it \u201cstands united\u201d with the Forest Service in grief and \u201cin our unwavering support for the loved ones left behind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The names of the firefighters were withheld pending notification to their loved ones, the Interior Department said.<\/p>\n<p>Temperatures in Grand Junction \u2014 east of the fire \u2014 hit a high of 93 degrees Fahrenheit  Saturday, with winds gusting to 44 mph, according to the National Weather Service.<\/p>\n<p>The Mesa County Sheriff\u2019s Office asked people to evacuate the potential path of the fire and to turn on irrigation water to saturate the land. The federal Bureau of Land Management on Saturday closed public access to lands it manages nearby.<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday, strong winds pushed waves of thick, gray smoke from the fire as it burned through a desolate stretch of scrub and red mesa.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hot, dry and windy conditions<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Consecutive days of hot, dry and windy weather fueled fires in Colorado, Utah, Arizona and elsewhere. New fires popped up across the region.<\/p>\n<p>The largest blaze, the Cottonwood Fire, burned out of control in rugged terrain in southwest Utah. It ballooned Sunday to more than 146 square miles (378 square kilometers) after marching through canyons and mountainsides, destroying part of a ski resort. The cause is under investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Firefighters worked on multiple fronts, using bulldozers to scrape away brush and trees to starve the fire of fuel.<\/p>\n<p>No estimates of damage were immediately available. Gov. Spencer Cox in a post on social media thanked crews for what he called \u201cseveral miraculous stops and saves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The danger is even higher this year because of Utah\u2019s record-low snowpack and its warmest winter on record. Much of the West is grappling with similar conditions, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Some 12 fires were burning in Utah. None were contained by late afternoon Sunday.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fires across the U.S. burn thousands of square miles this year<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Nationally, nearly 4,688 square miles (12,142 square kilometers) have burned since Jan. 1. That is more than the 10-year average.<\/p>\n<p>Fully or largely uncontained wildfires burned across the desert Southwest on Sunday, according to Forest Service data, including in Nevada and Arizona. Their area totaled nearly 469 square miles (1,214 square kilometers).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emergencies declared in Utah and Colorado<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Citing fire conditions, Cox declared an emergency last week and banned fireworks ahead of the July Fourth holiday. State officials said Utah has seen an increase in wildfire starts, with each fire showing unprecedented behavior and stretching wildland firefighting capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Colorado Gov. Jared Polis also declared an emergency on Saturday, authorizing the use of the National Guard to tackle the fires.<\/p>\n<p>South of Grand Canyon National Park, authorities said a new wildfire was moving away from Grand Canyon Village on Saturday. But about 50 miles (80 kilometers) away, another fire prompted Coconino County officials to issue evacuation orders for those near Kendrick Mountain.<\/p>\n<p>Parts of northern Arizona were without power Saturday as the utility serving the area initiated a safety shut-off in hopes of lessening the wildfire risk. On Sunday, officials said power had been restored to much of Grand Canyon National Park.<\/p>\n<p>Power shutoffs have become more common in the West as wildfire risk has expanded. It is usually a last resort after utility forecasters weigh factors like sustained wind and gust speeds, available fuels and topography.<\/p>\n<p>Smyth contributed from Columbus, Ohio. Sisak reported from New York. Associated Press writer Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles contributed.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=2939\">Joe Sakic already making big deals, bringing back veterans in his return to role as Avalanche GM<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=2940\">Joe Sakic already making big deals, bringing back veterans in his return to role as Avalanche GM<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=2941\">Rockies\u2019 Hunter Goodman smashes three home runs vs. Twins<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BEAVER, Utah | Blistering heat and strong winds Sunday stoked wildfires across the West after three firefighters were killed a day earlier in Colorado while battling a blaze along the state\u2019s border with Utah. The National Weather Service said wildfire conditions \u201cremain critical\u201d across the Southwest, with risk high in the Four Corners region where [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[262],"tags":[116,4752,4753,4754,4755,4756],"class_list":["post-2943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-state-and-region","tag-gov-jared-polis","tag-gov-spencer-cox","tag-knowles-fire","tag-snyder-fire","tag-thompson-springs-utah","tag-ty-oneil"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>3 firefighters killed in Colorado as wildfires stoked by heat, wind rage \u2014 VIDEO - Denver Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=2943\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3 firefighters killed in Colorado as wildfires stoked by heat, wind rage \u2014 VIDEO - Denver Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"BEAVER, Utah | Blistering heat and strong winds Sunday stoked wildfires across the West after three firefighters were killed a day earlier in Colorado while battling a blaze along the state\u2019s border with Utah. 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