Hickenlooper and three senators ask Interior Department to investigate deaths of 4 Rifle Helitack firefighters in Mesa County

Sen. John Hickenlooper and three Senate Democrats asked Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to investigate the deaths of four Rifle Helitack firefighters on the Knowles fire in Mesa County and review federal wildfire suppression policies.

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper and three Senate Democrats asked Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Oct. 2 for a federal investigation into the deaths of four Rifle Helitack firefighters who died responding to the Knowles fire in Mesa County.

The letter was signed by Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego and Michigan Sen. Gary Peters. It calls for a review of the June deaths and of federal wildland firefighting policies, including the use of “full suppression” tactics and direct attack strategies.

The four firefighters were identified as Emily Barker, Nathan Matthews, Nick Hutcherson and Sydney Watson. They died after becoming trapped by the Knowles fire, which later merged with other burns and became known as the Snyder fire. A fifth firefighter was injured.

The senators wrote that the National Incident Management Situation Report issued the morning the Rifle Helitack crew was deployed predicted wind gusts of up to 60 mph, low humidity and likely severe impacts. The letter said the crew was sent to the fire two hours later and remained on the ground despite new ignitions, strong winds and near-zero visibility.

A preliminary report on the deaths, published July 30, said high winds were present the day the firefighters were trapped. According to the report, a helicopter was sent to rescue the crew but could not land because of the conditions.

The letter questioned whether federal policies that favor aggressive fire suppression put the crew at greater risk. The senators noted that the Knowles fire was several miles from the nearest town when the Rifle Helitack crew was deployed.

“While it is critical to protect communities at risk of wildfire, it is notable that the Knowles Fire was several miles away from the nearest town when the Rifle Helitack Crew was deployed,” the letter said. “We call on Interior to closely examine whether value is added by presuming full suppression at all times, rather than assessing the risks to life, property, and resource values before determining the approach to any given fire.”

The senators also asked the Interior Department to review how firefighter safety is prioritized and how management structures have shifted. The letter said this year has had the highest number of entrapments in two decades and the deaths of 13 federal wildland firefighters, pilots and contractors across the West.

The letter followed a request by Hickenlooper for an investigation. The initial report was released hours after he called for an investigation on the Senate floor, the letter said.

The senators said requests for a briefing on the investigation’s status had not been answered and no new information had been provided since the July 30 update.

“As of the writing of this letter, requests for a briefing on the status of this investigation have not been filled, and no new information has been provided since the issuance of a July 30th update on the investigation,” the letter said.

The federal agency that publishes the reports has not responded to questions about when a final analysis will be completed.

Five wildland firefighters died this summer in Colorado. In addition to the four deaths in Mesa County, helicopter pilot Nicholas Dale died while working on the Gold Mountain fire. The National Transportation Safety Board published a preliminary report on that crash in August.

A memorial service for Barker, Hutcherson and Watson was held July 5 at Las Colonias Park in Grand Junction.