Two crews from the Piedmont Fire Department are heading to Colorado to assist with ongoing wildfire operations.
Department officials say Engine 6-6 and Engine 4-10 have been deployed to Grand Junction, where they will be assigned to either an active wildfire or a new fire as conditions require.
The deployment comes as western Colorado continues to deal with the aftermath of several large wildfires. The Grand Junction area is near the site of the Knowles Fire, which last month claimed the lives of three firefighters. That fire has since merged with the Snyder Fire and other nearby blazes, with the combined fires burning more than 30-thousand acres.
Federal officials say the circumstances surrounding the firefighters’ deaths remain under investigation. The U.S. Department of the Interior has assigned a serious accident investigation team to review what happened.
The Piedmont crews are expected to support wildfire suppression efforts as fire activity continues across the region.
