Three firefighters lost their lives and two were injured while fighting the Snyder wildfire that has been burning along the Utah-Colorado border, the U.S. Wildland Fire Service reported. The fire began Saturday morning as the Snyder Mesa Fire in Grand County, eastern Utah, and then crossed into Colorado, where it combined with the smaller Jones and Knowles fires in Mesa County to become the Snyder Fire.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency response on Saturday and authorized the Colorado National Guard to support ground response efforts, according to a statement from the governor's office. The same statement estimated that the fire has consumed about 28,000 acres and that containment stood at 0%.
Local authorities have issued evacuation warnings for several smaller communities in Mesa County as crews continue to respond. Details on the conditions of the injured firefighters, the identities of those killed, and the specific communities subject to evacuation warnings were not provided in the statement.
The incident began on Saturday morning in eastern Utah and escalated as the blaze spread across the state line into Colorado. In Mesa County the Snyder Fire merged with the Jones and Knowles fires, creating a larger, unified incident that authorities are addressing as a single fire event. Officials reported three firefighter fatalities and two injuries while managing the response.
As the situation stands, containment remains at 0%, and emergency resources, including the Colorado National Guard, have been mobilized under the governor's disaster emergency declaration. Evacuation warnings remain in effect for several smaller communities in Mesa County as firefighting and response operations continue.
Contextual notes
The available information is limited to the statements released by the U.S. Wildland Fire Service and the Colorado governor's office. Authorities have confirmed the fatalities, injuries, the authorization of National Guard assistance, the estimated acreage burned of 28,000, and the 0% containment figure. Other operational details, timelines for containment, and further human impacts have not been supplied.