VIDEO/PHOTOS: A Level 3 immediate evacuation has been issued for parts of Winthrop as a fast-moving wildland fire burns west of town near West Chewuch Road and moves east toward Winthrop. Okanogan County Emergency Management issued the Level 3 notice at 11:27 a.m. Sunday for the area east of West Chewuch Road to East Chewuch Road, south of Sunset Boulevard.

The evacuation area includes parts of the town of Winthrop, including Bluff Street, Corral Street, and Bridge Street. Officials are urging people in the evacuation zone to leave immediately and evacuate toward Twisp. An evacuation center has been set up at the Methow Valley Community Center in Twisp.

KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

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VIDEO: Three federal firefighters were killed and two were injured Saturday in a wildfire burning near the Colorado-Utah state line, the U.S. Wildland Fire Service reported Sunday.

The agency — created earlier this year to streamline firefighting and fire reduction across public lands — said the firefighters had been part of an interagency response to the Knowles and Gore fires on Saturday.

In a release, the agency said it occurred during a burnover incident, in which fire sweeps through an area or overtakes personnel or equipment, leaving no viable escape routes or safety zones.

The two injured firefighters are being treated for burn injuries, according to the department. The identities of the two firefighters are being withheld pending notifications.

Gov. Jared Polis also declared an emergency on Saturday, and authorized the use of the National Guard to tackle the fires.

According to his office, the Jones, Snyder Mesa, and Knowles Fires combined and are now the Snyder Mesa Fire, which has burned more than 28,000 acres.

KMGH-TV ABC 7 Denver

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Firefighters rescued an injured hiker from the steep trails of the Green River Gorge early Saturday after a technical rescue that began around 3 a.m. King County Fire District 20 said crews reached the adult man on a rugged hillside trail and used a wheeled litter and rope systems to carry him to safety through difficult terrain. The man was in stable condition and was taken to a hospital.

The rescue involved specially trained personnel from multiple South King County agencies, including Puget Sound Regional Fire, Enumclaw Fire, Mountain View Fire and Rescue, Renton Regional Fire Authority, King County Medic One, King County Fire District 20 and the King County Sheriff’s Office.

The Green River Gorge is a popular summer recreation area that regularly draws hikers, rafters and other visitors. Fire crews had previously trained for rescues on the same trail, but this operation was made more challenging because most of it was carried out in the dark, officials said.

KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

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VIDEO/PHOTOS: Rescue crews are still working to find survivors of the earthquake in Venezuela and one local task force saved the life of a mother and child stuck in the rubble.

According to Virginia Task Force 1 on Facebook, the crew worked alongside local firefighters and rescued a mother and her nine-month-old baby from a collapsed structure. Both were found alive with only minor injuries.

“This is our why: the delivery of hope,” VATF1 wrote in the Facebook post.

On Thursday, June 25, Virginia Task Force 1, an elite urban search and rescue team based in Fairfax County, deployed to Venezuela following two earthquakes that have killed 1,430 people as of Saturday, June 27 according to Associated Press.

More than 68,900 people are still missing due to the devastation.

The task force is operated by Fairfax County Fire and Rescue in partnership with the U.S. government and is widely regarded as one of the world’s premier urban search and rescue teams.

WVEC-TV ABC 13 Hampton

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VIDEO: Along Route 209 in Middle Smithfield Township sits a stark reminder of history.

Friday marked 62 years since the Marshall’s Creek explosion.

In June 1964, just after 4 a.m., firefighters responded to a burning tractor-trailer on Route 209.

The truck was carrying explosives with no warning.

“When the firemen had come to put the flames out, it detonated, killing three of the firemen who were here and three other remaining victims,” said James Brechbiel, economic development manager for Middle Smithfield Township.

Thirteen others were injured.

The tragedy prompted change across the country.

“So, this event was the catalyst for the Transportation Safety Act of 1974, where vehicles have to be marked if they are carrying explosives, because likely, if that vehicle had been marked, the lives of those six individuals would have been spared that day,” Brechbiel explained.

Those lives lost are still commemorated to this day.

WFMZ-TV

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