Nebraska firefighter Nathan Matthews, 43, died Friday, nearly a month after the June 27 incident
A fourth wildland firefighter has died from injuries sustained in the June 27 burnover incident on the Knowles Fire in western Colorado, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced Saturday. Nathan Matthews, 43, died Friday, nearly a month after the fast-moving wildfire enveloped his crew in Mesa County, west of Grand Junction. He was from Lincoln, Nebraska.
Matthews was part of a Helitack crew — firefighters dropped by helicopter into remote terrain to attack fast-growing fires. On June 27, while responding to the Knowles Fire, the fire spread and closed off all escape routes. Crew members deployed tent-like emergency shelters in an attempt to shield themselves from the advancing flames.
Three firefighters died at the scene: Emily Barker, 38, Nick Hutcherson, and Sydney Watson, 26, the department confirmed in earlier statements. Two other firefighters were also injured in the incident.
“This is another heartbreaking loss for our wildland fire family,” U.S. Wildland Fire Service Chief Brian Fennessy said in a statement.
The Knowles Fire was one of several blazes burning along the Colorado-Utah border in late June. The burnover has now claimed the lives of four wildland firefighters.