A public memorial service is scheduled for Sunday to honor three wildland firefighters who died battling flames on the Colorado-Utah border. Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson, and Sydney Watson were killed Saturday, June 27, when they were overcome by fast-moving fires in Mesa County, Colorado. Two other firefighters sustained burn injuries.
The three firefighters were part of a Helitack crew, which is trained to be deployed by helicopter into remote areas to prevent new fires from escalating. Their deaths occurred nearly 13 years after 19 wildland firefighters died trapped in a canyon in Yarnell, Arizona.
The memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Las Colonias Park Amphitheater in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Barker, 38, of Clinton, Michigan, was remembered by friends as a spirited individual who paved the way for women in the firefighting industry. Her passions included hiking, skiing, dirt biking, and playing hockey. A friend described her as an expert who loved her job.
Hutcherson, 27, originally from Glendale, Arizona, was a U.S. Navy veteran who aspired to become a physical therapy doctor. He was an active member of the Northern Arizona Deaf and American Sign Language community and a dedicated practitioner of Muay Thai. The Kaibab National Forest, where he was assigned, stated that Hutcherson exemplified the agency's commitment and the courage of wildland firefighters.
Watson, 27, of Warrior, Alabama, was a graduate of the University of Tennessee Southern, where she was a pitcher on the softball team and a "quiet, composed leader." She was assigned to the U.S. Wildland Fire Service Rifle Helitack crew. In 2023, Watson participated in a program aimed at increasing the presence of women on the fire line, expressing a desire to learn from and work with other women in the industry.