MI Firefighter Among 3 Killed Battling Colorado Wildfire

A firefighter from Macomb County was killed battling a wildfire in Colorado on Saturday, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Officials said 38-year-old Emily Barker from Clinton Township was one of three firefighters killed when they were overcome by flames in the Knowles Fire in western Colorado.

Officials said 27-year-old Nick Hutcherson, of Glendale, Arizona and 26-year-old Sydney Watson, of Warrior, Alabama, were also killed.

Two additional firefighters were injured during the incident and are receiving medical care, officials said.

"We mourn the loss of three firefighters who answered the call to protect others and made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their fellow citizens," U.S. Wildland Fire Service Chief Brian Fennessy said. "These firefighters embodied the courage, professionalism and selflessness that define the wildland fire service."

The firefighters were part of a specialized crew designed to put out rapidly escalating wildfires in remote areas only accessible by helicopter, according to an Associated Press report.

They were trying to shield themselves from flames by deploying tent-like shelters when they were overcome by the flames, according to the report.

The wildfire stretches over 28,000 acres along the Colorado-Utah border, officials said.

It comes as officials have warned of extreme fire risks due to months of dry weather across the west.