THREE FIREFIGHTERS KILLED RESPONDING TO UTAH-COLORADO WILDFIRES

Three firefighters were killed and two others injured whilst responding to the Knowles and Gore fires along the Colorado-Utah border on Saturday, the US Wildland Fire Service announced on Sunday. The agency, established in January to coordinate wildfire suppression and prevention across public lands, confirmed the firefighters were involved in a joint response operation. The US Wildland Fire Service and the USDA Forest Service issued a joint statement expressing grief and support for the families of those killed.

Wildfire activity across the western United States has intensified following several days of hot, dry and windy weather. In Utah, the Cottonwood fire began on Monday in Fishlake national forest in central Utah and expanded from approximately 70,000 acres to more than 92,000 acres by Saturday morning, according to the US Forest Service. The National Interagency Fire Centre reported the fire remained 0% contained and was the largest active wildfire in the country at that time. Officials in Beaver county began evaluating damage on Saturday, although no estimates were immediately available. State officials attributed the rapid growth to low humidity and strong winds.

Additional firefighters have been deployed to combat both newly ignited fires and existing blazes spreading across the region. Forecasters described current conditions as critical fire weather, characterised by extremely low humidity, high temperatures and strong winds. Nearly 3 million acres have burned across the country since the beginning of the year, exceeding the 10-year average, according to recorded data.