Nick Hutcherson of Glendale was one of three federal firefighters who died while responding to fires on the Colorado-Utah border over the weekend.
What they're saying: "He's a hero who embodied the courage and selflessness of our wildland fire service. We owe him a debt of gratitude we can never repay," Gov. Katie Hobbs posted on X.
Hutcherson, 27, was assigned to the Kaibab National Forest in northern Arizona, but joined firefighters from around the West to respond to multiple blazes that had spanned 28,000 acres along the Colorado-Utah border as of yesterday.
Flashback: Today is the 13th anniversary of the death of 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who perished while responding to the Yarnell Hill Fire near Prescott.
It was the largest loss of life among U.S. firefighters since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
