Colorado city, county seat of Mesa County, with council–manager government
Three federally deployed wildland firefighters have died while battling fast-moving wildfires in Colorado and Utah. Two others were injured after shelter injuries as the Knowles, Gore, and Snyder Mesa fires merge, highlighting questions around a new U.S. Wildland Fire Service and the push for full suppression.
The Gunnison County sheriff’s office says the pilot assisting firefighters with the Gold Mountain Fire has been found dead in Silver Jack Reservoir. The blaze covers about 57 square miles and remains only 13% contained. Investigators have asked the FAA for more details as authorities press on with firefighting efforts amid extreme fire weather.
A firefighter from Lincoln, Nebraska has died after a June burnover in Mesa County, Colorado. Three others died at the scene earlier this month, bringing Colorado’s wildfire fatalities to five this year. Officials say the western U.S. continues to contend with dozen large fires amid dry weather and erratic winds.