Three firefighters died and two others were injured on Saturday while trying to contain massive wildfires in the border area between Colorado and Utah, authorities said.
According to the Department of the Interior, they were part of a federal response team engaged in battling the Knowles and Gore fires when they were suddenly surrounded by flames and tried to escape.
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The U.S. Forest Service said the deaths and injuries occurred during a “fire entrapment incident.”
This is a situation in which a fire spreads so quickly and unexpectedly that personnel or equipment are unable to cope, escape routes are cut off, and firefighters left isolated are forced to use an emergency fire shelter as a last resort.
The two injured firefighters suffered multiple burns and were taken to hospital for medical treatment.
“Our priority right now is to support their families, friends and colleagues during this extremely difficult time,” the U.S. Forest Service said of the firefighters.
Meanwhile, the Knowles and Gore fires have expanded further and merged with other blazes, creating the Snyder Mesa fire, which by Saturday had scorched about 28,000 hectares of land, according to the office of Colorado Governor Jared Polis.
The fires, which have spread across Utah and Colorado, are located mainly in sparsely populated areas, but they have endangered several resorts and holiday homes. Warmer winters and strong winds have contributed to the spread of the recent fires across much of the western United States.
