In a tragic update three firefighters have been killed and two injured while responding to the Snyder wildfire burning along the Utah-Colorado border.
Colorado’s governor Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency response to the fire on Saturday, authorizing the Colorado National Guard to support response efforts.
According to a statement from the Colorado governor’s office and the U.S. Wildland Fire Service updates, the fire has burned an estimated 28,000 acres and is at 0% containment.
As reported, the fire began Saturday morning as the Snyder Mesa Wildfire in eastern Utah’s Grand County before spreading into Colorado, merged with the smaller Jones and Knowles fires in Mesa County to form the Snyder Fire.
Evacuation warnings have been issued for several smaller communities in Mesa County, Colorado.
The Jones and Snyder Mesa Fires have combined along the Utah/Colorado border and is now 28,264 acres. In six hours, it went from 10 acres, Nearly 5,000 acres an hour.
This shows the conditions on the ground that firefighters and fire managers alike are dealing with. 50MPH winds and critical fuel moistures.
The emergency declaration officially authorizes the Colorado National Guard to deploy and assist with local suppression efforts.
Furthermore, the U.S. Wildland Fire Service announced that the two surviving crew members are currently hospitalized for severe burn injuries.
