Published June 29, 2026 03:33PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The three firefighters who died on June 27 while battling a blaze along the Colorado-Utah border deployed a technique meant to keep them alive in the event of quickly approaching flames.<\/p>\n
But experts say that lifesaving practice\u2014which involves setting up a shelter made of protective material\u2014is a \u201clast resort\u201d that does not always work.<\/p>\n
\u201cA shelter is a tool of last resort meant to protect one from a flaming front and the gases released during a fire,\u201d says Bill Kaage, a retired firefighter and the former chief of the National Park Service\u2019s division of fire and aviation. \u201cThey train on fire shelter use yearly, if not more often. Realistically, no firefighter wants to be in a situation requiring the use of a shelter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily Barker, 38, of Michigan, Nick Hutcherson, 27, of Arizona, and Sydney Watson, 27, of Alabama, died after deploying their emergency protective shelters as a fire overtook their position, officials said in a statement<\/a>. Two other firefighters were injured in the blaze as well.<\/p>\n Their deaths mirror the 2013 Yarnell Fire Incident<\/a> when 19 firefighters died after deploying their shelters in Arizona\u2014and serve as a reminder that a firefighter\u2019s last resort may not be enough.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir deaths are absolutely devastating,\u201d says Riva Duncan, president of the Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, a nonprofit advocacy group.<\/p>\n The three firefighters were responding to the Knowles Fire in Western Colorado, which later merged into the Snyder Fire, the Department of the Interior said in a statement. Now estimated at 28,000 acres, the Snyder Fire was one of eight emerging incidents in the area following a red flag warning.<\/p>\n When deploying a fire shelter, firefighters issue a small tent made of technical fabrics that can reflect high heat when they are in a fire entrapment situation, meaning they cannot reach a safe zone and are being overrun by fire. The shelter\u2019s shape allows one person to lie flat, protecting the underside of their body and airway as they breathe the cooler, cleaner air closer to the ground. Deployment takes around 15 to 20 seconds, and firefighters must hold the shelter down before the flame front arrives.<\/p>\n But the exact conditions under which the firefighters deployed their shelter are still being investigated, authorities said.<\/p>\n Duncan told Outside<\/em> that the firefighters were engaged in initial attack firefighting, the first response by dispatched units to an incident. The exact details of how they died in the fire, she said, are not yet known.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a very dynamic situation, and it will take time to gather information and facts to learn exactly what happened,\u201d Duncan said.<\/p>\n Fire shelters are known to save lives. Under extreme conditions, however, they may prove fatal.<\/p>\n \u201cThey crawl into the shelter and hold it down with their arms and legs to try to weather a fire burnover. While shelters have saved the lives of numerous firefighters, not every situation is survivable,\u201d Duncan said.<\/p>\n Most firefighters who perish in fires die from heat that damages their airway, usually not external burns\u2014just one inhalation of hot gases can damage the lungs and suffocate a person, according to the U.S. Forest Service.<\/p>\n Wildland firefighting is different than structural. In wildland, personnel don\u2019t wear any kind of airway protection, Duncan said, and they often work extremely close to the edge of a wildfire.<\/p>\n \u201cThey carry chainsaws and hand tools for digging in the dirt and chopping brush to construct fire containment lines. They work 14-16 hour shifts but can even exceed a 24 hour shift during initial attack,\u201d Duncan said. \u201cTheir fire engines are small so they can drive narrow mountain roads. They hike long distances into fires or can rappel from helicopters and parachute into remote areas.\u201d<\/p>\n And with mounting environmental pressures pushing wildfire into more areas, experts like Kaage and Duncan agree that wildland firefighters are needed more than ever.<\/p>\n \u201cWildland firefighters are the frontline resources working in proximity to a fire\u2019s edge to stop fire spread,\u201d Kaage told Outside.<\/em>\u00a0\u201cThe work is arduous, requiring long hours, physically fit individuals, and lots of support by others not working alongside them.\u201d<\/p>\n Nationally, fire managers moved the country to preparedness level four<\/a> on June 29, with five being the highest. These ratings help authorities guide and mobilize fire resources. As preparedness levels rise, so does the need for incident management teams and suppression resources, such as wildland firefighters.<\/p>\n According to Kaage, the number of fires and acres so far burned this year are above the ten-year average, but it\u2019s difficult to speculate on how the year will continue to unfold. Below-normal snowpack followed by a very warm spring is leading to a drier-than-usual summer.<\/p>\n \u201cThis can mean that fuels were exposed to the elements (not under snowpack) for a longer time than is usual, and that vegetation may be stressed from reduced soil moisture,\u201d Kaage said.<\/p>\n Duncan added that persistent drought conditions, paired with a low snowpack, are making this year\u2019s Western fire season challenging.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is very early in the summer for places like Utah to be so active,\u201d Duncan said. The three deaths are \u201cabsolutely devastating for the wildland fire,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n \u201cWe ask the public to please be mindful of fire restrictions and remember we have real people with families out on the firelines doing an already risky job\u2014the last thing we need is a human-caused wildfire (all human-caused wildfires are preventable). Our firefighters are doing the absolute best they can in really difficult and dangerous conditions,\u201d Duncan said.<\/p>\n Authorities say they are continuing to investigate the incident and will release more details as they become available.<\/p>\n \u201cWe mourn the loss of three firefighters who answered the call to protect others and made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their fellow citizens,\u201d Wildland Fire Service Chief Brian Fennessy said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cOur thoughts are with their families, loved ones, friends and crewmates as they face an unimaginable loss. These firefighters embodied the courage, professionalism and selflessness that define the wildland fire service.\u201d<\/p>\nWhat is a Fire Shelter and How Does One Use It?<\/h2>\n
Wildland Firefighters Serve the Front Lines<\/h2>\n
An Unusually Active and Early Fire Season<\/h2>\n