health
3 firefighters killed, 2 injured fighting wildfires near Colorado-Utah border
Updated on: June 28, 2026 / 9:23 PM EDT / CBS/AP
TL;DR
- Three firefighters were killed and two injured in a burnover incident near the Colorado-Utah border while battling merged wildfires known as the Snyder Fire.
- The firefighters were part of an interagency response from the U.S. Wildland Fire Service and U.S. Forest Service.
- A separate wildfire in Utah, the Cottonwood Fire, has burned over 144 square miles, destroying parts of a ski resort and summer cabins.
- Hot, windy conditions with high temperatures are exacerbating wildfire activity across the western U.S., including Utah and Arizona.
- Utah is experiencing a severe wildfire season due to record-low snowpack, a warm winter, and historic drought conditions.
- Governors in both Colorado and Utah have declared emergencies, with Colorado authorizing the use of the National Guard.
- Red flag warnings have been issued across a wide swath of the West due to extreme fire conditions.
- Power shutoffs have been implemented in parts of Arizona and Utah as a safety measure to reduce wildfire risk.