Fire chief dies in rafting accident in Colorado

Michael Harp was rafting on the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado last week when the private, sanctioned tour took a tragic turn. The group’s raft became stuck on a rock in the Canyon of Lodore in a Class III/IV rapid known as Hell’s Half Mile on Thursday afternoon, Fox News reports. The 54-year-old was trapped under the raft and was unresponsive by the time the group managed to free it from the rock. “The group was eventually able to untie and secure the boat, but the individual, now detached and unresponsive and having lost his life jacket, drifted downstream,” said a statement from the National Park Service, cited by ABC 4. His body was found 10 miles downstream on Friday morning, Denver 7 reports.

Harp was a fire captain and served with the Salt Lake City Fire Department in Utah for 27 years. The second-generation firefighter served at Ground Zero after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. “Captain Michael Harp dedicated his life not only to the citizens of Salt Lake City, but also to his fellow firefighters,” the fire department wrote in a memorial post. “His legacy of service, leadership, compassion and infectious laughter will be remembered forever by all who knew him.” (More stories from Colorado.)