The U.S. Wildland Fire Service on Thursday released preliminary investigation details into the agency’s first fatal incident.
The Knowles Fire, which later merged into the larger Snyder Mesa Fire, caused the deaths of four wildland firefighters on June 27. Emily Barker of Michigan, Nick Hutcherson of Arizona, and Sydney Watson of Alabama died at the scene, while Nathan Matthews of Nebraska died a month later from severe burns. A fifth wildland firefighter was also hospitalized for burns, but officials have not yet released their identity or health status.
The firefighters were waiting for a helicopter pickup when a burnover overtook them, according to the details released by agency officials on Thursday. A new ignition was detected at 12:32 p.m., around three hours after the firefighters arrived on the scene and rapidly began exhibiting extreme fire behavior. Crews originally believed it was a spot fire, but satellite imagery reportedly confirmed it was a lightning ignition.
Strong winds pushed that ignition to merge with the Snyder Fire and kept smoke at ground level, reducing visibility, officials’ report said. A helicopter arrived to pick up the firefighters at around 3:13 p.m., but reported it was unable to land due to the smoke six minutes later. Officials say that’s when the firefighters deployed their fire shelters.
“The (Serious Accident Investigation Team) continues to examine all aspects of the incident,” officials said in the report. “This synopsis provides only verified preliminary facts and does not represent final findings or conclusions. Further details will be shared as appropriate once the full report is complete.”
The sharing of large firefighting aircraft across Australian states has been simplified with the introduction of national standard operating procedures. The new standards will replace individual state arrangements across a range of procedures including minimum drop heights, airspeed, flight paths, communications and training.
The change addresses safety issues found after a 2023 Boeing 737 accident in Western Australia.
On 6 February 2023, a Coulson Aviation Boeing 737 large air tanker hit a ridgeline on rising terrain after completing a retardant drop in the Fitzgerald River National Park in the state’s south-west.
The two pilots on board survived the accident without injuries and were quickly rescued by a nearby helicopter crew. The aircraft, however, was destroyed in the collision and subsequent fire.
Boeing 737 airtanker crash, Western Australia, February 2023. Photo: Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
The ATSB’s final report into the accident identified several safety factors which contributed to, or increased risk in, the accident.
Among these, the investigation highlighted how Australian states and territories had developed their own separate standard operating procedures for large air tankers engaged in firefighting operations.
The ATSB benchmarked the WA, New South Wales and National Aerial Firefighting Centre standards against the United States Forest Service and United States National Wildfire Coordinating Group standards and found inconsistencies between the Australian agencies’ standards but not among the United States agencies’ standards. It said that this was likely a result of each Australian state participating in the LAT program independently producing their own standards.
“The investigation found differing standards between jurisdictions could result in safety requirements being omitted or misunderstood by the various tasking agencies, such as a minimum drop height,” ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said.
“This resulted in inconsistencies in the development and application of large air tanker standard operating procedures (SOPs).”
These SOPs have now been collaboratively developed, endorsed and adopted by all Australian fire agencies, through the National Aerial Firefighting Centre.
“Large air tankers, which can quickly move around the country in response to operational need, play an increasingly critical role in the management and suppression of bushfires in Australia.
“As such, the implementation of national air tanker standard operating procedures represents a significant milestone in the ongoing maturity of the aerial firefighting safety system in Australia.
The coordination of Europe’s firefighting forces under new-look civil protection measures are getting an early season test as Central Europe faces a forecast of more heat and little prospect of rain.
With extreme fire weather affecting several countries simultaneously, scientists are looking more closely at “fire-weather synchronicity” as multiple countries call on aircraft and personnel at once. Says one scientist: “The fires are separate. The weather connecting them is not.”
The EU has deployed assistance to both France and Spain under the EU civil protection mechanism as ongoing wildfires have triggered one of the biggest evacuation operations in Europe, displacing more than 300,000 people so far in both countries with that number growing by the day.
Three firefighters have died in the wildfires with many more injured. The total number of deaths remains unclear as many are also heat-related and many people are still unaccounted for as large numbers of people – both residents and tourists – are on the move.
Other parts of Europe also impacted, including the United Kingdom, with fires in the Cairngorms in Scotland and in the south-east of England.
Prince William wrote in a post on X: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the devastating wildfires across France, Spain and the UK. We are deeply grateful to the firefighters, emergency services and volunteers working tirelessly in extraordinarily difficult conditions. These events are a stark reminder of the challenges posed by an increasingly extreme climate and the importance of protecting both people and nature.”
Spain and France are hardest hit in July 2026 wildfires, but the UK and Italy are also battling many fires. Source: Copernicus EFFIS
The EU has long coordinated shared resources, but following the extreme fire year of 2025 it ramped up its preparedness to a higher level for 2026. So far this month:
France has received: 7 firefighting planes and 4 helicopters from Czechia, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden and Türkiye. Most of these aircraft are part of the rescEU firefighting fleet.
Spain has received: 6 firefighting planes from Greece, Italy and Türkiye, as well as 134 emergency personnel and 41 vehicles from Portugal.
The EU’s Copernicus satellite service is providing emergency maps to support operations on the ground, while the Emergency Response Coordination Centre remains in constant contact with national authorities.
The UN Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said the case for a pan-European firefighting force was clear:
‘Right now, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes, while firefighters battle walls of flame in dramatic conditions to save lives and communities. No country should ever have to face a disaster of this scale alone. That is exactly why Europe built a common response capacity: aircraft in the sky, firefighters on the ground, and more support standing ready the moment it is needed. To the people of France and Spain: Europe will stand with you until the fires are out.‘
Fire weather synchronicity and other observations
The current fires have generated much discussion, with the notion of “fire-weather synchronicity” helping us better understand why all the fires seem to be happening at once and what this means for sharing resources.
In a post, Di Giuseppe says that synchronicity turns separate regional fires into a shared European emergency. Extreme fire-weather synchronicity has already increased across Europe and is projected to rise further as the climate warms.
“Climate change does not provide the ignition, but it is shifting the background conditions towards hotter, drier and longer fire seasons – and increasing the likelihood that dangerous conditions develop across large areas at the same time. The fires are separate. The weather connecting them is not.”
Another life has been added to the death toll of the Wildland Fire Service’s first fatal incident.
The Department of the Interior on Friday announced that 43-year-old Nathan Matthews of Lincoln, Nebraska, died from the injuries he sustained while fighting the Knowles Fire near the Colorado-Utah border on June 27. Officials said he was assigned to the Rifle Helitack crew when he was severely injured during a burnover and was hospitalized for nearly a month before he died.
“This is another heartbreaking loss for our wildland fire family,” U.S. Wildland Fire Service Chief Brian Fennessy said in a press release. “We mourn the loss of Nate while continuing to grieve the deaths of Emily, Nick and Sydney. Our hearts are with their families, friends, crewmates and everyone impacted by this tragedy. We remain committed to supporting those affected and honoring the legacy of all four firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation.”
Three other firefighters, 38-year-old Emily Barker of Michigan, 27-year old Nick Hutcherson of Arizona; and 27-year-old Sydney Watson of Alabama, died at the scene.
Officials said a fifth firefighter was also treated for burns after the burnover, but they have not shared their identity nor their health status. Officials have also not shared further details of the events leading up to the burnover and the firefighters’ positioning.
:A serious accident investigation team continues to review the circumstances surrounding the incident,” officials said. “Information regarding memorial services for Nate will be released at a later date.”
Emergency crews across France and Spain are fighting unprecedented wildfires that have forced the evacuation of thousands across the countries.
France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported Friday that over 110,000 people in the Department of Gironde have been evacuated, with Nuñez telling French broadcaster TF1 that the country has never seen a “convective fire of this magnitude.”
An estimated 60,000 people were also recently evacuated in Spain due to multiple fires burning outside Madrid. Minister of Environment, Agriculture and Interior of the Community of Madrid, Carlos Novillo, said the fires are “beyond extinguishing capacity” with authorities upgrading the fires’ danger level to 3, marking a “national emergency.”
The relatively normal wildfire season that Europe had been experiencing has gone up in flames over the past few weeks. Burned area across the European Union had been trending just above the 20-year average for most of the year, until the numbers exploded to near record-breaking highs during the week of July 8. Since then, over 254,000 hectares (627,000 acres) have burned, just 16,000 hectares short of 2025’s total during the same week.
“Although this wildfire season has, up to this date, slightly less burned area than in 2025 (the worst year on record), it is still above the average of the last 20 years (2006-2025),” the European Forest Fires Information System said.
Credit: Copernicus Programme of the European Union
Europe’s land is forecast to keep burning as very extreme fire weather conditions dominate numerous regions, including vast swaths of land from southwestern France into northern Spain, along with some pockets across Portugal, the British Isles and Ireland, according to the EFFIS.
Other areas are experiencing extreme fire weather conditions, including the wider Iberian Peninsula, western and central France, and northern Finland, along with parts of the western Balkans.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Mediterranean, a heatwave across northern Africa has led to severe fires in Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.
A contingent of 74 personnel from across Australia and New Zealand are being deployed to the United States to support ongoing wildfire operations. They are expected to be assigned to fires in the north-western states.
The deployment includes incident management specialists, field supervisors, heavy plant and aviation specialists. They will be deployed for five weeks and will play a vital role in supporting firefighting operations, drawing on their specialised skills and experience managing large bush fires in Australia.
The troops will follow the earlier deployment of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service’s large air tanker, the Marie Bahir, which has already dropped more than 500,000 litres of retardant on fires, most recently supporting operations on the Summit Fire near Piñon Hills, California.
Australian Large Air Tanker Marie Bashir supporting the United States in wildfire operations, Summit Fire, California, July 2026. Photo: ABC Eyewitness News
With elevated fire conditions continuing across the US, a formal request for assistance was sent to Australia and New Zealand: a process refined and repeated over many recent seasons. The Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council/National Resource Sharing Centre coordinates the deployment on behalf of the individual fire and land agencies. The main request is for Incident Management Personnel, Task Force Leaders and Air Base Managers to assist with the ongoing firefighting operations. They are sourced from several states – including New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia.
Nationally across the US, firefighters are working on 70 large fires across the country, including five new large incidents since yesterday. The National Interagency Fire Center reports 21,171 firefighters and support personnel engaged in nationwide fire activity, including 478 crews, 1,161 engines, and 128 helicopters.
So far this year, 41,377 fires have burned more than 3.9 million acres across the United States. Red flag warnings are in place in several places, especially southern and central Oregon, and extreme heat warnings are in effect throughout the southern United States. The Northwest continues to pose special concern, with more heavy thunderstorm activity predicted today.
Wildfire activity today over North America, 23-24 July 2026. Source: NASA LANCE FIRMS US/Canada
The pilot who died in a helicopter crash while involved in fighting a wildfire in Colorado was honored in a highway memorial procession that crossed much of the state this week.
The pilot, 56-year-old Nicholas Dale from Sooke, British Columbia, was the only person on board and was killed in the crash.
Dale was a federal contracted fire aviation pilot flying for Helicopters Express LLC, a Georgia-based company with a fleet of helicopters used for firefighting and heavy-lifting operations. The helicopter was a Kaman K-1200.
“A Kaman Aerospace K-1200 crashed into Silver Jack Reservoir in Gunnison, Colorado, around 5:10 p.m. local time on Sunday, July 12, during firefighting operations. Only the pilot was on board. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation.”
A CPR News report quotes a Federal Aviation Administration comment that the incident occurred under “unknown circumstances” and that the helicopter became “inverted” in the reservoir.
Helicopter Express shared the loss of their colleague on social media with this post:
“Yesterday, while conducting firefighting operations on the Gold Mountain Fire, our pilot, Nicholas Dale, was involved in an accident at the dip site while flying one of our Kaman K-1200 K-MAX N40HX. Tragically, Nick did not survive.
This is a heartbreaking loss for everyone at Helicopter Express and throughout the aerial firefighting community. Nick’s dedication, professionalism, and commitment to protecting others will never be forgotten.”
Governor Jared Polis said state flags will fly at half-staff on Dale’s memorial date to honor his bravery and sacrifice.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of Nicholas Dale, a heroic firefighting aviation pilot who gave his life while protecting Coloradans from the Gold Mountain Fire. Our state is deeply grateful for the brave firefighters, pilots, and first responders who put themselves in harm’s way to keep our communities safe.”
Dale is the fourth firefighter killed battling Colorado wildfires in the past month.
The Gold Mountain Fire, which began on June 27, 2026, has burned over 38,000 acres and is now around 24 percent contained. The fire has prompted evacuations in several counties and has 909personnel actively fighting the blaze today. The fire is burning mainly in high elevations in continuous mixed conifer stands. The steep and rugged terrain has limited the use of direct extinguishment.
Meanwhile, with a National Preparedness Level now at 5, the National Interagency Fire Center reports 72 large fires across the US, with 20,939 firefighters and support engaged in fire fighting activities, including 1127 engines and 125 helicopters.
So far this year, 40,989 fires have burned more than 3.9 million acres across the United States.
People in 25 municipalities in Spain are facing evacuations triggered by a wildfire burning around 100 km (62 miles) northeast of the nation’s capital.
The La Mierla Fire ignited inside Sierra Norte Natural Park on Thursday and has since burned over 16,000 hectares (nearly 40,000 acres), according to the Servicio de Prevención y Extinción de Incendios Forestales, or INFOCAM.
Authorities have upgraded the fire’s danger level to “high danger” level 2, meaning regional and national emergency resources are responding. A level 3 fire is considered a “national emergency” when the government would assume full control of fire operations.
Regional President of Castile-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, praised the “enormous” work of crews in the Guadalajara province on Thursday. He also marked the 21st anniversary of the deaths of 11 people during the La Riba de Saelices Fire, which García-Page said marked a turning point for the country’s focus on wildfire preparedness and prevention.
“Castilla-La Mancha is the region that has made the most progress, investing the most in these 20 years in technical fire resources, personnel, professional resources, and also aerial resources,” García-Page said. “We have the highest levels of per capita spending, probably in Europe, in relation to prevention and also to the care of the countryside throughout the year.”
All of Spain is experiencing extreme or very high fire danger in July as over 70,000 hectares (173,000 acres) have burned in 2026, exacerbated by the widespread extreme heatwave and drought Europe faced starting in late May. Wildfires in the southern city of Almeria baked in 40C (104F) degree heat and caused the deaths of 13 people, becoming the deadliest wildfire in the Andalusia region’s history and the third deadliest in Spanish history.
Spain had its second-most destructive wildfire season in history in 2025, when over 350 fires burned more than 393,000 hectares (971,000 acres). The only other year that came close to that level of burned area was 1994, when an estimated 437,602 hectares (1.1 million acres) burned across the country.
Burned area and total fire numbers in Spain have been trending upward over the past decade. Recent research has determined that increasingly extreme temperatures driven by climate change will likely lengthen peak wildfire season in Spain by 4 to 6 weeks and make extreme fire weather conditions more common.
Communities within the United States’ Great Lakes region will experience their highest air pollution levels throughout Sunday due to wildfire smoke from Canada, but National Weather Service forecasts show significant relief isn’t coming anytime soon.
Smoke has lowered air quality across the Midwest and Northeast to unhealthy and even hazardous levels over the past week as numerous out-of-control fires burn in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The total area burned surpassed historical highs on Thursday as peak fire season continues into late August.
Forecast models show near-surface smoke remaining throughout the Midwest and Northeast through at least Wednesday. Weather patterns are also expected to push smoke from Canada’s fires down southward into new Midwest and Western states in the coming days, including Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Wyoming.
The National Weather Service issues air quality alerts when levels of fine particulate matter, which are small particles that can penetrate deep inside lungs and are produced in large quantities by wildfire smoke, are elevated enough to pose health risks. Alerts are currently in effect for Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin, but more alerts are expected to be issued in other states as the smoke pushes south.
“The heaviest smoke is currently in Wisconsin, where significant portions are at VERY UNHEALTHY levels, while most other areas are seeing UNHEALTHY to USG conditions,” the U.S. Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program said in an alert on Sunday. “These conditions are expected to mostly persist today with the exception of northern Ohio and southeast Michigan, where Detroit and Cleveland should see conditions improve to MODERATE levels today.”
What began as a far-below-average wildfire season for Canada has since exploded past historical norms, causing national crews to mobilize and United States officials to issue warnings.
Area burned in Canada was less than half of the 10-year average on July 7, but just 10 days and over 300 wildfires later, area burned now sits at 2.78 million hectares (6.87 million acres), according to the National Wildland Fire Summary. The growing total is already 300,000 hectares (741,000 acres) above the 10-year average. The number of fires burning throughout Canada, at 3,656 as of July 17, is already above the 25-year average of 3,652 fires.
The fires have caused widespread hazardous air quality in the U.S. Midwest and Northeast. U.S. President Donald Trump and the Environmental Protection Agency both issued warnings on Friday, urging Canadian officials to “extinguish these fires as fast as possible.”
Credit: BC Wildfire Service
“We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly sainting their forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable,” Trump said in a social media post. “I will call the Prime Minister during the day to find out what they are going to do about it.”
Fire danger is extreme in Ontario, with widespread wildfires causing evacuations in numerous communities across the province, according to Canada’s most recent fire summary. Fires are forecast to continue growing over the coming days due to high temperatures, dry weather and lightning.
The Northwest Territories and parts of Nunavut are also nearing extreme fire danger, while northern Manitoba, north-central Saskatchewan, and interior British Columbia’s fire danger are also expected to increase.
Wildfire smoke impacts are also expected to continue in both eastern Canada and the U.S. over the coming days, specifically due to heavy smoke emitted by fires in western Ontario. Canadian officials said diplomatic engagement is being coordinated to discuss smoke impacts on U.S. states.
