Firefighters killed after deploying emergency shelters in wildfire. Here’s why it’s raising concern

GLENDALE, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) — A 27-year-old was among three wildland firefighters killed over the weekend while battling a large fire close to the Utah-Colorado border.

Their deaths have renewed questions about the safety of fire emergency shelters and the equipment deployed before they died.

According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, all three firefighters deployed their emergency shelters but did not survive the flames.

The firefighters’ deaths come just days before the 13th anniversary of the Yarnell Hill Fire and are being described as one of the deadliest situations involving firefighters since that tragedy.

In both events, firefighters deployed fire emergency shelters but did not survive.

Jim Roth said he lost his brother, Roger, in a similar situation during the South Canyon Fire in 1994. Roger was one of 14 firefighters who died in a burnover after getting trapped and deploying their emergency shelters.

“It’s like reopening an old wound again,” Roth said. “I was absolutely heartbroken.”

A spotlight has once again been put on the emergency shelters themselves. Roth pointed to the age of the design as a core concern.

“It points out the fact that they’re using this safety equipment that’s supposed to keep them safe, but it’s a 25-year-old design,” he said. “It’s horrible. I’m not an advocate for fire shelter tents.”

Jason Ramos, a former wildland firefighter, shared that he knows firsthand what it means when a crew reaches for those shelters. He described the moment as a signal that a mission had already gone wrong.

“If you were with me on a mission and we were going for shelters, it’s a bad day. Like something is not right,” Ramos said.

The nature of wildland firefighting makes those moments difficult to predict or prevent. Conditions on the ground can change in seconds, leaving crews with little time to react.

“It’s always changing. And it never gets easier. It’s just something that is, again, constant, constant dynamics — weather, wind, temperatures,” Ramos said.

Even before ever deploying one, Ramos said he had reservations about whether the shelters could hold up under real fire conditions.

“Looking at it, I said, I don’t think this is going to work very well,” he said.

Researchers have been working to improve barriers and protective tools for firefighters facing the most dangerous conditions.

For Roth, the work cannot come soon enough.

“They’re not bulletproof. They could be,” Roth said.