Three firefighters have died and two others were injured while battling rapidly spreading wildfires along the Colorado-Utah border, US officials have confirmed.
The firefighters were part of a federal response team assigned to combat the Knowles and Gore fires when they were overtaken by fast-moving flames during a burnover incident on Saturday.
According to the US Department of the Interior, the crew attempted to take shelter after the fire suddenly intensified and cut off their escape routes.
Two firefighters sustained burn injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment. Authorities have not released the names of the victims.
The US Wildland Fire Service said its immediate priority is supporting the families, friends and colleagues of those affected.
The agency described the tragedy as a burnover incident, a dangerous situation in which firefighters are engulfed by rapidly advancing flames and are forced to deploy emergency fire shelters as a last resort.
Officials said the Knowles and Gore fires have since merged with other nearby blazes to form the Snyder Mesa Fire, which had burned approximately 28,000 acres by Saturday.
The five firefighters involved in the incident were members of the US Wildland Fire Service and the US Forest Service, two federal agencies responsible for managing public lands and wildfire response.
The US Wildland Fire Service, established earlier this year under the Department of the Interior, said it stands in solidarity with the US Forest Service as both agencies mourn the loss.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared a state of emergency on Saturday, authorising the deployment of the Colorado National Guard to assist with firefighting operations.
In a statement, Polis described the deceased firefighters as heroes who lost their lives while protecting communities.
He also expressed condolences to the families of those killed and acknowledged the ongoing efforts of firefighters who continue to battle the blaze across western Colorado.
Emergency crews remain on the scene as efforts continue to contain the expanding wildfire.
