- Two hunters who were reported missing in Colorado, including one from Utah, died from lightning, per a local coroner.
- Several weather alerts were issued between Sept. 11, when they were last heard from, and Sept. 13, when they were reported missing.
- 14 other lightning deaths have been reported in the U.S. this year.
SALT LAKE CITY — Two hunters, including one from Utah, who were found dead last week after being reported missing in southern Colorado earlier this month, reportedly died from a lightning strike.
Ian Stasko, 25, of Salt Lake City, and Andrew Porter, 25, of Asheville, North Carolina, were each struck by lightning, Conejos County Coroner Richard Martin told the Colorado Sun on Monday. The bodies of both men were found below a tree and had small burns, and both men likely died instantly, he added.
A time of death was not immediately determined.
"They didn't do anything wrong; they didn't feel fear or pain. (Porter) was just trying to get back to the car as storms rolled in on Friday (Sept. 12). It was out of everyone's hands, and I am so grateful we found them so they can be at peace," wrote Bridget Murphy, Porter's fiancée, in a Facebook post on Monday. "He was an experienced outdoorsman who was in the wrong spot at the wrong time."
Stasko and Porter were reported missing on Sept. 13 after last being heard from when they were in the San Juan Wilderness Area west of Trujillo Meadows Reservoir in Conejos County on Sept. 11. A satellite device they had with them was also not functioning, a family member of one of the men wrote on a GoFundMe page.
The National Weather Service issued several weather alerts across western Colorado and eastern Utah between Sept. 11 and 13, including severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings, and special weather statements tied to strong thunderstorms in both states. Family members wrote that they suspected the hunters were likely "caught off guard by the weather."
The disappearances of both men sparked several searches. Saguache County, Colorado, search and rescue officials, who helped in the search, confirmed on Thursday that both men were found dead by a search team.
National Weather Service officials point out that there is no "100% safe shelter" outdoors, which is why they recommend that people check forecasts before any trips outdoors. A vehicle or enclosed structure of some kind is the safest place to go when a thunderstorm develops while in a remote area.
If neither is available, the weather service says the next best option is to "get to the lowest elevation" possible and stay away from trees, especially isolated ones, as well as hills, mountain ridges, cliffs, rocky overhangs or peaks.
There have been 14 other lightning fatalities in the U.S. this year, according to the agency.
