Fourth firefighter dies from burns received in June during Colorado wildfire operation

A fourth firefighter has died from burns after he and several colleagues were overcome by a fast-moving wildfire near the Colorado-Utah border last month, officials said on Saturday.Nathan Matthews, 43, died on Friday, the US interior department said in a release. He was from Lincoln, Nebraska.“This is another heartbreaking loss for our wildland fire family,” said the US wildland fire service chief, Brian Fennessy.Matthews’ death came nearly a month after he and other firefighters were enveloped on 27 June in what’s known as a burnover – a situation in which a fire spreads and closes off all escape routes. They were part of a helitack crew – a group that gets dropped by helicopter into remote areas to try to squelch new, rapidly expanding fires – that had been deployed in Mesa county, Colorado, west of the city of Grand Junction.The firefighters deployed tent-like emergency shelters to try to shield themselves from the flames, officials said, but three firefighters died at the scene: Emily Barker, 38; Nick Hutcherson, 27; and Sydney Watson, 26.Matthews and another were taken for medical treatment. There was no immediate update on the other injured firefighter’s condition.Watson, Hutcherson and Barker were honored at a memorial service earlier this month. Memorial arrangements for Matthews haven’t yet been announced.The western US has been contending with dozens of large fires this summer. Months of dry weather, a record lack of snow in some areas, hot spells and erratic winds have contributed to the blazes.Firefighters were bracing on Saturday for the possibility of worsening fires in Oregon, where a blaze near Bend was of particular concern because of its proximity to people.