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Border Firefighter Deaths

Three firefighters were killed and two injured battling West Coast border wildfires.

June 28, 2026 · Updated Jun 28, 9:23pm ET

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Pano rates the coverage Balanced.

What happened

Three firefighters were killed and two others were injured while battling the Knowles and Gore wildfires along the Colorado-Utah border, federal officials said. The crew members were part of an interagency response when they were caught in a burnover, a fast-moving fire event that can overtake firefighters and equipment and force crews to deploy emergency shelters. The U.S. Wildland Fire Service and Interior Department said the deaths occurred Saturday in Mesa County, Colorado, as hot, windy conditions fueled dangerous fire behavior across the Four Corners region. Critical wildfire conditions continued across much of the Southwest, where blistering heat and strong winds threatened to intensify fires across public lands.