Colorado is burning and mourning the loss of three firefighters.
Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson and Sydney Watson were killed while trying to slow the Knowles fire as it raced toward Glade Park, an area full of cabins and homes outside Grand Junction. Thankfully, the Knowles Fire, which the larger Snyder Fire overtook, was 65% contained on Friday morning.
A memorial for the fallen heroes will be July 5 at 11 a.m. at Las Colonias Park in Grand Junction. Coloradans across the state can honor their memory by not engaging in risky activities.
Colorado’s director of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control said firefighters still on the lines understand the risk they take to save lives and property. He said fire managers are not slowing their efforts to stop four mega fires that as of Friday morning had collectively burned more than 157,000 acres.
“We asked several who were up close and personal with this loss, and their decision was that they still want to work,” Mike Morgan said. “They are still on the line doing the work. They are mission-committed. Do they have tears in their eyes? Absolutely, yes.”
Morgan said when things settle down, they will have resources for firefighters suffering from the loss of Barker, Hutcherson and Watson, but for now, the battle rages on.
“As a nation, we’re going to be there for them,” Morgan said.
Colorado’s first responders are spread very thin with four mega fires torching homes and forests across the state. Utah and New Mexico are burning too, meaning there is competition for mutual aid resources, too.
Gov. Jared Polis said the fires right now are well resourced, but additional ignitions will cause trouble.
“We are braced for a long fire season,” Polis said, citing the drought combined with hot, dry and windy weather. “We are asking Coloradans to avoid new fire causing behavirors … Nine out of 10 fires are human-caused. People can do their part to support our firefighters by being very cautious about potential fire-starting events in the coming days and weeks.”
Sadly, that does include personal fireworks, campfires, dispersed shooting and even ATV riding in forests that are ready to go up in smoke at the slightest spark.
While firefighters in Western Colorado mourn the loss of firefighters, those in Southern Colorado are mourning the loss of Beulah, a small mountain community that has been engulfed by the Aspen Acres fire. Families forced to evacuate from Beulah, Rye, San Isabel, Wetmore and Colorado City are still waiting to hear the fate of their homes.
The Alaska Complex Incident Management Team started working the fire on Thursday with Jake Livingston as the incident commander leading a huge team of local, state and federal firefighters. The fire has burned 66,896 acres and is zero percent contained.
Conditions kept some planes grounded Thursday, but firefighters continued to battle the fire on the ground, surrounding homes and trying to defend them.
Polis urged Coloradans to set up their phones , double-check the alert systems, and for those on pre-evacuation notice to prepare to leave quickly.
Local police, state troopers and the Colorado National Guard are going door to door helping with evacuations.
Even if there is no fire in your community, your resources are spread thin. Fire departments across the state have sent teams to these fires, so accidentally sparking a small fire in your yard, even one that is quickly extinguished, adds to the load on a system stretched thin.
In addition to the Snyder and Aspen Acres fires, two more fires continue to grow and threaten communities.
The Ferris Fire near Cahone in Montezuma County has burned 27,000 acres, and the Gold Mountain Fire has burned 18,000 acres dangerously close to the town of Ouray.
Mega fires will forever change these landscapes. Forests will take decades to begin growing again. Flood risks will increase, and water quality will decrease. Too many Coloradans will have to rebuild their lives from the ashes.
With no relief of rain in sight, according to the National Weather Service, Colorado is reliant on heroes like Barker, Hutcherson and Watson to fend off these fires. We are forever grateful for their work.
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