Daijiworld Media Network - Denver
Denver, Jun 29: Three wildland firefighters were killed and two others seriously injured while battling a rapidly spreading wildfire along the Colorado-Utah border on Saturday, according to the US Wildland Fire Service.
Officials said extreme heat, dry weather conditions and strong winds have accelerated the spread of wildfires, with the number of large uncontrolled fires across the United States rising to 45.
The firefighters were killed while fighting the Knowles and Gore fires in Mesa County, Colorado. The US Department of the Interior described the incident as a "burnover", where firefighters were suddenly surrounded by advancing flames and had to deploy emergency fire shelters.
The two injured firefighters were taken to hospital with burn injuries.
The Department of the Interior said the Knowles and Gore fires later merged with another blaze to form the Snyder Fire, further intensifying the situation.
The firefighters belonged to two federal agencies responsible for managing public lands — the US Wildland Fire Service and the US Forest Service. The Wildland Fire Service, under the US Department of the Interior, was established in January this year to improve coordination of firefighting efforts on public lands.
According to Colorado Public Radio, Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency on Saturday and authorised the deployment of the National Guard to assist firefighting operations.
Expressing grief over the deaths, Governor Polis said on social media platform X, "I am deeply saddened by the loss of three brave firefighters who died in the line of duty in western Colorado."
He paid tribute to firefighters who risk their lives to protect communities and public lands, and offered condolences to the families of the victims and their fellow crew members still engaged in firefighting efforts.
The governor said the state was working with the Bureau of Land Management, local authorities and firefighters to deploy all necessary resources, including the Colorado National Guard, to control the wildfires and recover the bodies of the deceased firefighters.