Utah flash flooding killed fire captain Spencer Long and four members of his family after a weekend hiking trip in the southern part of the state, law enforcement officials said. The deaths happened near Bicknell, where the family had gone for a day outing on Friday.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office said it believes the family was caught in flooding brought on by heavy rain. The office did not name the dead in its statement. Identification of the victims later came from Provo Fire & Rescue, which said Captain Long had died along with his wife and three sons.
A GoFundMe page also linked the sheriff’s statement with the fire department’s announcement and identified the family as Spencer Long, his wife Katrina, and their sons Reid, Thayne, and Gage. The fundraising page said the couple had a daughter who did not join the outing and is now the only surviving member of the family.
