Memorial service to honor firefighters killed on Colorado-Utah border

Memorial service to honor firefighters killed on Colorado-Utah border 1 of 5 | This photo provided by Holly Tuckett shows wildland firefighter Sydney Watson at the North Carolina WRTEX event near Singletary Lake, N.C., on Feb. 27, 2023. (Holly Tuckett via AP) 2 of 5 | A first responder adjusts an American flag during a procession in Grand Junction, Colo., Monday, June 29, 2026, for firefighters who died battling blazes near the Colorado-Utah border. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) 3 of 5 | A woman salutes during a procession for firefighters who died battling wildfires near the Colorado-Utah border in Grand Junction, Colo., Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) 4 of 5 | A burned section of the Snyder Fire seen from across the Colorado-river" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="28983" data-entity-type="location">Colorado River in Mack, Colorado, on Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty O’Neil) 5 of 5 | The body of a firefighter who died battling wildfires near the Colorado-Utah border is carried during a procession in Grand Junction, Colo., Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) 1 of 5 | This photo provided by Holly Tuckett shows wildland firefighter Sydney Watson at the North Carolina WRTEX event near Singletary Lake, N.C., on Feb. 27, 2023. (Holly Tuckett via AP) 1 of 5 This photo provided by Holly Tuckett shows wildland firefighter Sydney Watson at the North Carolina WRTEX event near Singletary Lake, N.C., on Feb. 27, 2023. (Holly Tuckett via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 5 | A first responder adjusts an American flag during a procession in Grand Junction, Colo., Monday, June 29, 2026, for firefighters who died battling blazes near the Colorado-Utah border. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) 2 of 5 A first responder adjusts an American flag during a procession in Grand Junction, Colo., Monday, June 29, 2026, for firefighters who died battling blazes near the Colorado-Utah border. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 5 | A woman salutes during a procession for firefighters who died battling wildfires near the Colorado-Utah border in Grand Junction, Colo., Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) 3 of 5 A woman salutes during a procession for firefighters who died battling wildfires near the Colorado-Utah border in Grand Junction, Colo., Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 4 of 5 | A burned section of the Snyder Fire seen from across the Colorado-river" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="28983" data-entity-type="location">Colorado River in Mack, Colorado, on Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty O’Neil) 4 of 5 A burned section of the Snyder Fire seen from across the Colorado-river" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="28983" data-entity-type="location">Colorado River in Mack, Colorado, on Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty O’Neil) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 5 of 5 | The body of a firefighter who died battling wildfires near the Colorado-Utah border is carried during a procession in Grand Junction, Colo., Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) 5 of 5 The body of a firefighter who died battling wildfires near the Colorado-Utah border is carried during a procession in Grand Junction, Colo., Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Three firefighters who were killed battling flames on the Colorado-Utah border are being remembered as brave heroes who were trailblazers in their industries. Wildfires have spread across the West fueled by months of dry weather and a record lack of snow, forcing residents from their homes as crews work to tamp down the flames. Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson and Sydney Watson were killed Saturday, June 27, and two others sustained burn injuries when they were overcome by flames from fast-moving fires in Mesa County. They deployed emergency protective shelters, which are considered a “last resort” for firefighters when there is no other way out. They were assigned to a Helitack crew that can be dropped into remote areas by helicopters and whose mission is to prevent new fires from growing into out-of-control blazes. Their deaths came almost 13 years to the day since an elite crew of 19 wildland firefighters died when they were trapped in a steep canyon in Yarnell, Arizona.A memorial service will be held for the three firefighters at 11 a.m. Sunday at Las Colonias Park Amphitheater in Grand Junction, Colorado. Emily BarkerBarker, 38, had so much spirit, and the people around her always strived to be a better person by her presence, said Sarah Brubeck Schnurbusch, a friend and former roommate.Barker was from Clinton, Michigan, and liked hiking, skiing, dirt biking and playing hockey. She loved firefighting.“I’ve never seen someone so excited to go to work,” Brubeck Schnurbusch said. She added that her friend was an expert who helped pave the way for many women in the industry.She said she is hopeful that Barker’s death opens people’s eyes to the hard work firefighters are putting in day in and day out. “I just hope that Emily knows the impact that she left on everybody else, and how many people really truly love her,” she said. 2 MIN READ 1 MIN READ 1 MIN READ Nick HutchersonHutcherson, 27, served in the U.S. Navy and had plans to become a physical therapy doctor, according to the Kaibab National Forest in northern Arizona where he was assigned. He was also an active member of the Northern Arizona Deaf and American Sign Language community and was a dedicated Muay Thai practitioner who trained at Southside Combat Academy in Flagstaff.Hutcherson was from Glendale, Arizona.The Kaibab National Forest said it is heartbroken over his death. Hutcherson exemplified the agency’s commitment to serving the public and the courage wildland firefighters bring to the job, it said. The combat academy described Hutcherson as a warrior and said it is forever grateful to have known him and to have fought alongside him.“We lost a good one,” read a social media post. “If you met Nick, you loved Nick. He was such a gentle and genuine soul. We are still in disbelief.” Sydney WatsonWatson, 27, was from Warrior, Alabama, and graduated from the University of Tennessee Southern, according to the university.A former pitcher on the softball team and “a quiet, composed leader,” Watson was assigned to the U.S. Wildland Fire Service Rifle Helitack crew, the university said in a statement.In 2023, Watson participated in a program in North Carolina organized by the Women-in-Fire Prescribed Fire Training Exchanges, the collaborative group wrote in a statement. In her application for the program, she said she wanted to see more women on the fire line and to work with and learn from other women in the fire industry, the statement said. “It’s hard for people outside of the firefighting world to understand why we do what we do. We do it because we love it. Sydney loved it,” the group wrote.