Wildfire Overwhelms Firefighters' Shelters

Three federal firefighters died in western Colorado over the weekend after a fast-moving wildfire overran their position near the Utah border, reports the Colorado Sun. The firefighters, from the US Forest Service and US Wildland Fire Service, had deployed emergency shelters that were overcome by what's known as a burnover on Saturday, per the AP. Their names have not yet been released. At Grand Junction Regional Airport on Sunday, colleagues stood at attention as the firefighters' flag-draped bodies were transferred from a helicopter to coroner's vehicles in a procession of fire and law enforcement trucks.

The three were helping fight the Knowles and Gore fires near the Utah border, which have now merged with other fires to form the Snyder Fire. Two other firefighters were injured. Fueled by high winds and drought-dried vegetation, the wildfire has burned about 44 square miles so far. The National Weather Service has warned of "extreme fire danger" and the potential for rapid, uncontrollable fire spread across southwestern Colorado.