A fourth firefighter died from injuries sustained when a wildfire near the Colorado-Utah border suddenly changed directions on June 27.
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced that 43-year-old Nathan Matthews of Lincoln, Nebraska, died Friday after being hospitalized since he was caught in the burnover.
“This is another heartbreaking loss for our wildland fire family,” said Wildland Fire Service Chief Brian Fennessy.
Three firefighters were killed during the initial burnover on June 27 — Emily Barker, 38, of Clinton Township, Michigan; Nick Hutcherson, 27, of Glendale, Arizona; and Sydney Watson, 27, of Warrior, Alabama.
“We mourn the loss of Nate while continuing to grieve the deaths of Emily, Nick, and Sydney," Fennessy continued. "Our hearts are with their family, friends, crewmates, and everyone impacted by this tragedy.”
The four were helicoptered into the area in what was then called the Knowles Fire, one of several that sprang to life in late June near the Colorado-Utah border. They were eventually named the Snyder Fire.
Three were killed when their last-resort shelters were not enough to protect them. Matthews and another firefighter, who has not been publicly identified, were injured and airlifted to a Denver hospital.
The three firefighters who died June 27 were honored in a memorial ceremony on July 5. Memorial plans for Matthews will be released at a later date, according to the Interior Department.
The Snyder Fire burned more than 28,000 rugged acres before it was declared 100% contained in mid-July. The Interior Department is conducting a serious accident investigation to determine what went wrong leading to the firefighter deaths.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado, and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
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