Fourth firefighter dies after Colorado-Utah border blaze

A fourth firefighter has died from injuries sustained in a late June wildfire near the Colorado-Utah border, authorities confirmed on Saturday, July 25, as a severe wildfire season continues to challenge crews across the western United States and Canada. Nathan Matthews, 43, of Lincoln, Nebraska, died on Friday, according to the U.S. Interior Department. He was part of a Helitack crew that was overrun by fast-moving flames on June 27 in Mesa County, Colorado, west of Grand Junction. Three of his colleagues-Emily Barker, 38, Nick Hutcherson, 27, and Sydney Watson, 26-died at the scene. Matthews and another firefighter were airlifted for medical treatment.

The announcement of Matthews' death came as firefighters in central Oregon battled one of the nation's most severe and high-priority blazes, the Akawa Butte Fire, burning just a few miles north of the city of Sisters. As of Saturday, the lightning-caused fire had scorched approximately 40 square miles and was 5% contained. Strong winds, with gusts up to 30 mph, threatened to push flames into new areas, though officials expressed confidence that Sisters would remain safe once the strongest winds subsided on Sunday.