Three firefighters are dead and two more are injured after responding to the rapidly spreading Snyder wildfire burning along the border of Utah and Colorado, according to the U.S. Wildland Fire Service.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency in response to the blaze on Saturday, a move that allows the Colorado National Guard to step in and assist with firefighting efforts.
The fire has consumed an estimated 28,000 acres and is currently at zero percent containment, according to a statement released by the Colorado governor’s office.
The fire originated Saturday morning as the Snyder Mesa Fire in Grand County in eastern Utah before crossing the state line into Colorado. Once there, it merged with two smaller blazes — the Jones and Knowles fires in Mesa County — combining to form what is now being called the Snyder Fire.
Authorities have issued evacuation warnings for several smaller communities located in Mesa County, Colorado, as the fire continues to spread.
