In brief
A sudden flash flood swept away fire captain Spencer Long, his wife, and three sons during a day trip near Bicknell, Utah. Local authorities confirmed the fatalities after heavy rains triggered the disaster. The community mourns the loss, and a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to assist the surviving family member.
Utah Firefighter and Family Killed in Flash Flood
Five members of a Utah family were killed in a flash flood after a day of hiking in the state’s southern region over the weekend.
The victims were fire captain Spencer Long, his wife Katrina, and their three sons—Reid, Thayne and Gage. The daughter was absent from the outing and remains the sole family member who survived.
The incident was reported by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office as a result of heavy rainfall that caused sudden flooding in the area near Bicknell. They first received a call at about 17:00 local time (23:00 GMT) after discovering the body of a young male at the campground.
A subsequent search uncovered additional victims, and the surviving two were found dead on Saturday evening.
Provo Fire & Rescue confirmed the deaths, expressing profound grief: “We are absolutely heart‑broken by the loss of Captain Spencer Long and his family. Our thoughts are with them in this difficult time.”
The family’s story also surfaced through a GoFundMe page that lists the sheriff’s statement and links it to the firefighters’ memorial description. It notes that the couple’s daughter, whose life has been “forever changed in an instant,” is the only family member who survived.
The community and emergency personnel continue to offer support to the surviving family and to honor the memory of the lost members.
