Report: Smoke Prevented Helicopter from Rescuing Trapped in Deadly Colorado Wildfire
Heavy smoke prevented a helicopter from picking up five wildland firefighters before their position was overtaken in the Knowles fire on June 27, according to a preliminary investigation report.
Three of the five-member helitack crew died in the burnover incident, while another succumbed to injuries later.
The crew was deployed for initial attack on fires along the Colorado-Utah border southwest of Loma.
Investigators with the U.S. Wildland Fire Service and the U.S. Forest Service say members of the Rifle Interagency Helitack crew were deployed on the Knowles fire around 9:36 a.m. on June 27, about 8 miles east of the growing Snyder and Jones fires.
At about 12:32 p.m., lightning ignited a new fire about a quarter mile northeast of the Snyder fire. The blaze showed “extreme fire behavior” accelerated by low moisture, dry fuels and west-southwest winds from 30 to 50 mph.
Around 2:56 p.m., the helitack crew communicated about a helicopter pickup, reporting fire near their location 2 minutes later. By 3:08, a helicopter was en route but was unable to land.
“Strong winds kept the smoke at ground level, reducing visibility to near zero at the deployment site,” the report read.
At 3:19 p.m., the crew instead deployed fire shelters as the fire overtook them from the southwest.
Firefighters Emily Barker, 38, Nick Hutcherson, 27, and Sydney Watson, 27, died on the scene, while firefighter Nathan Matthews, 43, died of his injuries on July 24. A fifth firefighter is still recovering.
The Snyder, Gore, Knowles and Jones fires eventually merged, growing to more than 30,000 acres.
On Thursday, Sen. John Hickenlooper called for a “swift and thorough” investigation into the incident.
“We need to understand what went wrong so we can prevent future tragedies,” he said.
The latest report is preliminary and subject to change, pending the full investigation by the federal Serious Accident Investigation Team headed by wildland fire experts from different federal agencies.
“This synopsis provides only verified preliminary facts and does not represent final findings or conclusions. Further details will be shared as appropriate once the full report is complete,” read the report.
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