Flags will fly at half-staff Friday to honor 43-year-old Nathan Matthews, the fourth wildland firefighter to die from injuries sustained in the burnover incident on the Knowles Fire in western Colorado. The Knowles Fire merged with other fires to eventually become the Snyder Fire near the Utah-Colorado border.
- Watch Denver7's Lauren Lennon's live interview ahead of the processional Friday morning in the video player below.
Nathan Matthews, 43, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was assigned to the Rifle Helitack crew to fight the wildfire.
He was receiving medical care for burn injuries he suffered during his time working the Knowles Fire before he died on Friday, July 24 from those injuries.
Wildfire
Fourth firefighter dies from injuries in burnover incident in Mesa County
Multiple federal and state agencies will gather at the Denver Federal Center Friday to escort the fallen firefighter via Interstate 70 to the Bureau of Land Management facilities in Grand Junction.
The honor escort will be led by Colorado State Patrol departing from the Federal Center at 7:30 a.m. Friday.
If you would like to pay your respects Friday, officials say you can gather at the Furniture Row parking lot in Lakewood where the procession will pass around 7:33a.m. as it turns onto the westbound 6th Avenue on-ramp.
Denver7 spoke with people who filled the parking lot to show support for Matthews.
One family from Colorado Springs told Denver7 their daughter worked with Matthews and another firefighter who died while fighting the fire in Mesa County.
"It is important for me to show up not just for my daughter, but for the parents of Nate and friends of Nate, and show that respect," said Geoff Hills.
"Seeing people go out, take those risks, and I want the community to know the kinds of things that the firefighters are going through, the difficulty that the families have worrying about things," he added.
Hills says his daughter is in Grand Junction, where the procession will end.
Another supporter, Peter Dybing, who spent 20 years fighting wildland fires across the country, emphasized how heartbreaking it is to lose a member of a team.
"When people come to a fire, they become instant family. Wherever they're from in the country, they all come together and they become instant family," he said.
"When we lose one of our own, it's just heartbreaking for us. It's heartbreaking for the families that lost somebody, and it's important that we honor that sacrifice," he added.
Officials say you can also observe the escort along the I-70 route from the overpasses, but emphasize motorists cannot park or stop on interstate shoulders, ramps, bridges or overpasses.
Pedestrians should also not enter the interstate, ramps or other restricted roadway areas.
The Colorado Department of Transportation will implement rolling closures and brief temporary ramp closures along the route to Grand Junction.
Matthews was one of five firefighters who experienced the burnover incident. Three firefighters died at the scene: Emily Barker, 38, of Clinton Township, Michigan; Nick Hutcherson, 27, of Glendale, Arizona; and Sydney Watson, 27, of Warrior, Alabama.
Previous coverage:
- New report reveals extreme conditions faced by firefighters in deadly burnover event near Colorado-Utah border
- Fourth firefighter dies from injuries in wildfire burnover incident in Mesa County
- 'Sacrifice will never be forgotten': Colorado, federal agencies mourn loss of 3 firefighters
- 3 federal firefighters killed, 2 injured in wildfire near Colorado-Utah state line
- Emotional procession held for 3 firefighters killed in wildfire on Utah border
