GRAND JUNCTION, CO — A solemn and emotional moment occurred early Sunday as a procession was held to honor the three firefighters killed while battling wildfires on the Utah-Colorado border this weekend.
Sixteen local, state, and federal fire agencies participated in the procession that began at the Grand Junction Regional Airport and brought the victims to Community Hospital.
Several agencies are also participating in an honor watch at the hospital.
On Monday, the Department of the Interior released the identities of the three firefighters who died. Emily Barker, 38, was from Michigan; Nick Hutcherson, 27, was from Arizona; and Sydney Watson, 26, was from Alabama.
The two firefighters who were injured during the incident on Saturday were flown out of town to an unspecified location.
According to the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, the federal firefighters died during an interagency response to the Knowles and Gore fires, which have since merged and are now known as the Snyder Mesa Fire, and have burned more than 28,000 acres.
The department said the deaths occurred in a burnover incident resulting in shelter deployment.
