Three US Wildland Firefighters Killed Battling Colorado Wildfire Near Utah Border

June 29, 2026

Sacramento: Three wildland firefighters lost their lives and two others were injured while battling a rapidly spreading wildfire near the Colorado-Utah border on Saturday, as dozens of large fires continued to burn across the western United States.

According to the US Department of the Interior, the firefighters were overrun by advancing flames while responding to the Knowles and Gore fires in Mesa County, Colorado. The incident forced crews to deploy emergency fire shelters, but three firefighters died in the line of duty while two others sustained burn injuries and were hospitalised.

Fires Merge Into Snyder Fire

Officials said the Knowles and Gore fires later merged with other nearby blazes to form the Snyder Fire, complicating firefighting operations amid hot, dry and windy weather.

The firefighters belonged to the US Wildland Fire Service and the US Forest Service, both of which are responsible for managing and protecting public lands.

Colorado Declares Disaster Emergency

Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency and authorised the deployment of the National Guard to support firefighting efforts.

Expressing condolences, Polis described the deceased firefighters as heroes who sacrificed their lives protecting communities and public lands, adding that the state would provide all available resources to combat the wildfire and assist recovery efforts.

Officials said nearly 45 large wildfires remained uncontained across the United States, with extreme weather conditions continuing to fuel fire activity.