BEAVER, Utah — Blistering heat and strong winds Sunday stoked wildfires across the West after three firefighters were killed a day earlier in Colorado while battling a blaze along the state’s border with Utah.
The National Weather Service said wildfire conditions “remain critical” across the Southwest, with risk high in the Four Corners region where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah intersect. The agency warned of “extreme fire behavior” along the Utah-Colorado border, where “rapid fire growth is likely.”
The firefighters were killed and two sustained burn injuries when they were overcome Saturday by flames from fast-moving fires. They deployed emergency protective shelters during the so-called burnover — which occurs when a fire spreads and closes off all escape routes — in Mesa County, the U.S. Interior Department said.
They worked for the U.S. Wildland Fire Service and U.S. Forest Service and were part of an interagency response to the Knowles and Gore fires, which merged with other fires to form the Snyder fire. So far, about 44 square miles have burned.
The Wildland Fire Service, created this year to streamline firefighting and fire reduction across public lands, said in a statement that it “stands united” with the Forest Service in grief and “in our unwavering support for the loved ones left behind.”
The names of the firefighters who perished were being withheld pending notifications to their loved ones, the Interior Department said.
Temperatures in Grand Junction — east of the fire — hit a high of 93 degrees with winds gusting to 44 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office was asking people to evacuate the potential path of the fire and turn on irrigation water to saturate the land. The federal Bureau of Land Management closed public access to lands it manages nearby.
On Sunday, strong winds pushed waves of thick, gray smoke from the fire as it burned through a desolate stretch of scrub and red mesa.
Hot, dry and windy
Consecutive days of hot, dry and windy weather have fueled flames in Colorado, Utah, Arizona and elsewhere as new fires popped up across the region.
The largest blaze, the Cottonwood fire, burned out of control in rugged terrain in southwest Utah. It grew Sunday to more than 146 square miles after marching through canyons and mountainsides, destroying part of a ski resort and summer cabins along the way. The cause is under investigation.
Firefighters were working on multiple fronts to slow the blaze, including using bulldozers to scrape away brush and trees to starve the fire of fuel.
No estimates were immediately available. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox in a post on social media called it bleak, but he thanked crews for what he called “several miraculous stops and saves.”
The danger is even higher this year because of Utah’s record-low snowpack and its warmest winter on record. Much of the West is grappling with similar conditions, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Some 12 fires were burning in Utah, including four that were new. None were contained by late afternoon Sunday.
Wildfires across the U.S.
Nationally, nearly 4,688 square miles have burned since the start of the year. That is more than the 10-year average.
Fully or largely uncontained wildfires were burning across the desert Southwest on Sunday, according to Forest Service data, including in Nevada and Arizona. Their area totaled nearly 469 square miles.
Emergencies declared in Utah and Colorado
Citing fire conditions, Cox declared an emergency last week and banned fireworks ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. State officials said that over the last week, Utah has seen an increase in wildfire starts, with each fire showing unprecedented behavior and stretching wildland firefighting capabilities.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis also declared an emergency Saturday and authorized the use of the National Guard to fight the fires.
South of Grand Canyon National Park, authorities said the flames of a new wildfire were moving away from Grand Canyon Village and the nearby community of Tusayan on Saturday. But about 50 miles away, another fire prompted Coconino County officials to issue evacuation orders for those near Kendrick Mountain.
Parts of northern Arizona were without power Saturday as the utility serving the area initiated a safety shutoff in hopes of lessening the wildfire risk. On Sunday, officials said power had been restored to much of Grand Canyon National Park.
Power shutoffs have become more common in the West as wildfire risk has expanded. It is usually a last resort after utility forecasters weigh factors like sustained wind and gust speeds, available fuels and topography.
ONeil, Sisak and Smyth write for the Associated Press and reported from Beaver, New York and Columbus, Ohio, respectively. AP writer Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
