health
Three firefighters killed and two injured while battling Utah-Colorado wildfires
Firefighters were involved in joint response to Knowles and Gore blazes as wildfires ravage western US, fire agency says
TL;DR
- Three firefighters were killed and two injured during a response to wildfires on the Colorado-Utah border.
- The US Wildland Fire Service announced the fatalities, occurring during a joint response to the Knowles and Gore fires.
- Wildfire activity is escalating in the western US due to hot, dry, and windy conditions.
- A large wildfire in Utah's Fishlake national forest grew significantly, becoming the largest active wildfire in the US at 0% containment.
- Utah and Colorado governors declared states of emergency due to severe fire conditions.
- Nearly 3 million acres have burned across the US this year, exceeding the 10-year average.
- Utah faces an increased wildfire threat due to record-low snowpack and the warmest winter on record.
- Red flag warnings have been issued across a broad section of the west.
- Power shutoffs are increasingly used by utilities to mitigate wildfire risk.
- Extreme weather conditions leading to wildfires are linked to the global climate crisis.