Nathan Matthews died from burns after being caught in a fast-moving wildfire near the Colorado-Utah border.
Nathan Matthews, a 43-year-old firefighter from Lincoln, Nebraska, died from burns after being caught in a fast-moving wildfire near the Colorado-Utah border. The federal Interior Department announced that Matthews died on Friday, July 24, 2026, after his Helitack crew was enveloped by a burnover situation where the fire closed off all escape routes. Matthews was part of a crew deployed to Mesa County, Colorado, west of the city of Grand Junction. While three other firefighters—Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson, and Sydney Watson—died at the scene, Matthews and one other colleague were taken for medical treatment. The western U.S. is currently facing dozens of large fires this summer due to a record lack of snow, hot spells, and erratic winds. Firefighters are currently bracing for worsening conditions in Oregon, where a specific blaze near Bend is of particular concern due to its proximity to people.