AT 6 P.M. AT HIGH POINT COMMUNITY CHURCH IN CORNER, AND A CEREMONY WAS HELD YESTERDAY IN GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO, TO HONOR WATSON AND THE TWO OTHER FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS. EMILY BARKER AND NICK HUTCHERSON. IN A SPEECH TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE UNITED WILDLA
Joint Colorado service remembers 3 wildland firefighters killed battling fast-moving Mesa County fire
Updated: 8:28 AM CDT Jul 6, 2026
Editorial Standards ⓘ
A joint memorial service in Colorado honored three fallen wildland firefighters on Sunday, including 27-year-old Warrior native Sydney Watson.Watson, along with colleagues Emily Barker and Nick Hutcherson, died June 27 when they were overcome by flames while battling a fast-moving wildfire on the Colorado-Utah border.During Sunday's ceremony at Las Colonias Park Amphitheater in Grand Junction, Colorado, the director of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service praised the crew's ultimate sacrifice, calling them "public servants who represent the best of the country."The three were part of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service Rifle Helitack crew, a specialized team that drops into remote areas by helicopter to suppress new fires. Officials say the crew deployed emergency protective shelters, considered a "last resort" for firefighters, but were unable to escape the fire in Mesa County. Two other firefighters sustained burn injuries in the incident.In Alabama, a celebration of life for Watson is scheduled for Tuesday at Highpoint Community Church in Empire. The family will receive visitors beginning at 4 p.m., with a service to follow at 6 p.m.>> YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: Community coverage from WVTM 13
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — A joint memorial service in Colorado honored three fallen wildland firefighters on Sunday, including 27-year-old Warrior native Sydney Watson.
Watson, along with colleagues Emily Barker and Nick Hutcherson, died June 27 when they were overcome by flames while battling a fast-moving wildfire on the Colorado-Utah border.
During Sunday's ceremony at Las Colonias Park Amphitheater in Grand Junction, Colorado, the director of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service praised the crew's ultimate sacrifice, calling them "public servants who represent the best of the country."
The three were part of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service Rifle Helitack crew, a specialized team that drops into remote areas by helicopter to suppress new fires. Officials say the crew deployed emergency protective shelters, considered a "last resort" for firefighters, but were unable to escape the fire in Mesa County.
Two other firefighters sustained burn injuries in the incident.
In Alabama, a celebration of life for Watson is scheduled for Tuesday at Highpoint Community Church in Empire. The family will receive visitors beginning at 4 p.m., with a service to follow at 6 p.m.
>> YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: Community coverage from WVTM 13