Three firefighters killed and two injured while battling Utah-Colorado wildfires | US wildfires
Three firefighters died and two others were injured while responding to wildfires on the Colorado-Utah border, the U.S. Wildland Fire Department announced Sunday.
The agency, which was established in January to coordinate efforts to suppress and prevent wildfires on public lands, said firefighters conducted a joint response to the Knowles and Gore fires on Saturday.
“The U.S. Wildland Fire Service stands with the USDA Forest Service in sorrow and in our unwavering support for the loved ones left behind,” he said. expression on Facebook. “Their courage, dedication and sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
Wildfire activity continued to increase in the western United States after several days of hot, dry and windy weather fueled fires in Utah, Arizona and other parts of the region, sparking new fires.
Hundreds of firefighters in Utah are working to contain a wildfire that had spread to more than 20,000 acres (8,000 hectares) by Saturday. Low humidity and strong winds contributed to the rapid growth of the fire, state officials said.
The Cottonwood fire started Monday in the Fishlake national forest in central Utah. It grew from about 70,000 acres overnight to more than 92,000 acres by Saturday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service. At the time, the National Interagency Fire Center said the fire was 0% contained and was the largest active wildfire in the United States.
Officials in Beaver County began working with fire crews Saturday to assess the damage, but no estimates were yet available.
Additional firefighters were deployed to the dry state to combat both incipient fires and existing fires that continued to spread due to what forecasters described as critical fire weather, including extremely low humidity, high temperatures and strong winds.
Since the beginning of the year, approximately 3 million decares of land have burned across the country, above the 10-year average. Utah faced an even larger wildfire threat throughout the year. record low snow cover and the warmest winter ever recorded.
Earlier in the week, Utah governor Spencer Cox made a statement: state of emergency A statewide fireworks ban was authorized ahead of the July 4 holiday due to severe fire conditions. The emergency declaration comes as Utah is experiencing one of the most severe wildfire seasons in recent history, fueled by historic drought.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis also made a statement. state of emergency On Saturday, he approved the deployment of the national guard to assist in firefighting efforts.
In recent days, the National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings across a wide swath of the West, including California, Arizona and New Mexico.
Power outages are becoming increasingly common across the western United States as fire danger grows. Utilities generally use them only as a last resort after evaluating conditions such as sustained winds, high winds, existing vegetation and terrain.
As extreme wildfire conditions continue in Utah, Rocky Mountain Power has shut down power lines serving Beaver County and surrounding areas.
Like it might be this summer hottest on recordWildfires continue to pose a growing problem.
Areas of the American Great Plains that are usually green in mid-spring have experienced fire instead of rainfall this season, leaving more than 1 million acres parched and barren.
Outbreaks of extreme weather, including conditions ripe for wildfires, are symptoms of the world’s ongoing climate crisis, driven primarily by carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels.
Associated Press contributed reporting
