'Not the outcome anybody saw coming;' Fourth firefighter dies in Utah-Colorado wildfire

SALT LAKE CITY — A fourth firefighter has died from injuries sustained in a June burn-over incident on the Utah-Colorado border.

Nathan Matthews, 43, of Lincoln, Nebraska, died after weeks of treatment for severe burns suffered while battling the Knowles Fire, which was overtaken by the nearby Snyder Fire on June 27.

Matthews was a member of the Rifle Helitack crew. Three of his fellow crew members — Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson and Sydney Watson — died at the scene of the burnover after shelter deployment.

"It's certainly not the outcome anybody saw coming," said Burk Minor, of the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, which has been assisting Matthews' family since the incident. "The family's devastated. The crew's devastated, the entire wildland community's devastated."

Minor said firefighters across the wildland firefighting community had continued hoping for Matthews' recovery during his hospitalization.

"Nate's been on the back of their minds, the whole community, while they're out doing their work right now," Minor said. "It just doesn't get any worse."

Minor said Matthews had worked as a wildland firefighter for ten years. Outside of work, family and friends said he was an avid skier.

A fifth firefighter was also injured in the incident. Federal officials have not publicly identified that firefighter, and an update on their condition was not immediately available.

Minor said Matthews' death has reopened wounds for members of the Rifle Helitack crew and others in the firefighting community who were still grieving the deaths of Barker, Hutcherson and Watson.

"It just kind of peeled off the scab," Minor said. "Everybody's trying to go from the first three, and especially the crew. They were getting ready to go out again, and unfortunately they got another bell to ring and a memorial."

Minor didn't know Matthews personally, but he knows the kind of grit it takes to be a wildland firefighter.

"Wildland firefighters are the most underrated public servants we have walking this planet, and they're really not on people's minds until the cones of smoke are in the air, the aviation show with the retardant and the water drops and the buggies everywhere. And then everybody gets it," Minor said. "They're out there with bandanas and sleeping in the dirt for 21 days straight, 18 hours a day."

The Snyder Fire has since been contained, but the deaths come as firefighters across the West continue to battle an active wildfire season.

"The fire behavior that's on the ground right now is certainly not expected for this time of year, and we still have a long way to go," Minor said. "There's going to be a lot of tired firefighters by the time this thing is over."

A fundraiser* for Matthews' family is posted online. Donations to help the homes of killed and injured wildland firefighters can be made to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation by phone, online or in person in Boise, Idaho.

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited into the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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