Fourth firefighter dies from burns Colorado wildfire operation
Nathan Matthews, 43, from Lincoln, Nebraska, died on Friday from burns sustained during a June 27 wildfire near the Colorado-Utah border, officials said Saturday.
A fourth firefighter has died from burn injuries after being caught in a fast-moving wildfire near the Colorado-Utah border last month, the US Interior Department announced on Saturday.
Nathan Matthews, 43, of Lincoln, Nebraska, died on Friday. He was part of a helitack crew – a team deployed by helicopter to remote areas to combat new, rapidly expanding fires – that was sent to Mesa County, Colorado, west of Grand Junction, on June 27. That day, the crew was overtaken in what is known as a burnover, where fire blocks all escape routes. The firefighters deployed tent-like emergency shelters, but three died at the scene: Emily Barker, 38; Nick Hutcherson, 27; and Sydney Watson, 26. Matthews and another firefighter were taken for medical treatment; the condition of the other injured firefighter was not immediately updated.
Watson, Hutcherson, and Barker were honored at a memorial earlier this month. Arrangements for Matthews' memorial have not been announced.
The western US has been grappling with dozens of large fires this summer, fueled by months of dry weather, a record lack of snow in some areas, heat spells, and erratic winds. On Saturday, firefighters were bracing for potentially worsening fires in Oregon, with particular concern for a blaze near Bend due to its proximity to populated areas.
