3 firefighters killed, 2 injured fighting wildfires near Colorado-Utah border

Key Points:

• Three firefighters died and two were injured while battling the Knowles and Gore fires on the Colorado-Utah border, according to the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, which expressed condolences and promised to share more information as available.
• Wildfire activity has intensified across the western U.S. due to hot, dry, and windy weather, with the largest blaze, the Cottonwood Fire in southwest Utah, expanding to over 144 square miles and destroying parts of a ski resort and cabins.
• Difficult terrain with cliffs and steep slopes has hampered firefighting efforts, while hundreds of firefighters have been deployed amid critical fire weather conditions and Utah's record-low snowpack and warmest winter on record.
• Utah and Colorado governors declared emergencies, with Utah banning fireworks ahead of the July Fourth holiday and Colorado deploying the National Guard, as wildfire starts surge and strain firefighting resources.
• Power shutoffs have been implemented in parts of northern Arizona and Utah's Beaver County to reduce wildfire risks, a measure increasingly used in the West amid extreme fire danger.