Fire captain deployed to Ground Zero on 9/11 dies in Colorado rafting mishap

SALT LAKE CITY ( KTVX ) — A Utah fire captain has been identified as the man who died in a “rafting accident” in Colorado earlier this week, according to officials.

Captain Michael Harp, 54, was rafting along the Green River at Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado when he was involved in the accident, according to a press release from the Salt Lake City Fire Department . He was a second-generation firefighter and a 27-year veteran of the Salt Lake City Fire Department.

Harp was initially reported missing Thursday afternoon, the National Park Service said. He had been on a “private permitted trip on the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument.”

Around 4 p.m. on Thursday, officials were notified that a boat was pinned against a rock and that one person was missing from the group. When the boat was able to be unpinned, officials said Harp, who was unresponsive, drifted downriver after losing his lifejacket.

Harp’s body was found about 10 miles downstream from the incident early Friday morning and airlifted to the Moffat County Coroner’s Office. The coroner’s office confirmed Harp’s identity last week, NPS told Nexstar’s KTVX.

“Captain Michael Harp dedicated his life to the service of not only the citizens of Salt Lake City, but also his fellow firefighters,” officials said. “His legacy of service, leadership, compassion, and contagious laughter will forever be remembered by all who knew him.”

The press release said Harp was deployed to Ground Zero on 9/11 and was a “dedicated member of Utah Task Force 1.” The Salt Lake City Fire Department has expressed its condolences to the family and asked that members of the public respect the family.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with family, friends, and fellow firefighters during this difficult time,” the fire department said.

Dinosaur National Monument is a park that is made up of more than 210,000 acres in both Utah and Colorado, the NPS said, and is known for whitewater rafting along the Green and Yampa rivers.

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