Three firefighters killed and two injured battling wildfires on the Colorado-Utah border

Three firefighters were killed and two were injured while responding to the Knowles and Gore fires along the Colorado-Utah border, the U.S. Wildland Fire Service announced Saturday. The agency, which was created earlier this year to streamline firefighting and fire reduction across public lands, said it stood "united with the USDA Forest Service in grief and in our unwavering support for the loved ones left behind."

The deaths came as dozens of large, uncontained fires burned across the West. The Cottonwood Fire, burning in rugged terrain in southwest Utah's Fishlake National Forest east of Beaver, grew to more than 92,000 acres — more than 144 square miles — in just a few days and remained 0% contained as of Saturday night. State and local officials described it as likely Utah's most destructive and costly wildfire on record. The Cottonwood Fire also damaged or destroyed several buildings at Eagle Point Ski Resort and burned cabins in the Beaver Mountain community. Its cause remained under investigation.

Other active fires added to the burden on firefighters. The Iron Fire near Eureka, Utah, burned more than 40,000 acres, the Cherry Fire grew to more than 30,000 acres after being sparked by lightning Friday, and the Wild Goose Fire near Holden had grown to over 10,000 acres by Saturday evening, according to CNN. Nationally, the Associated Press reported, nearly 3 million acres have burned since the start of the year — more than the 10-year average.