Utah fire captain identified as man killed in Colorado rafting accident

DINOSAUR, Colo. — A 27-year veteran of the Salt Lake City Fire Department has been identified as the man killed on Colorado's Green River in a rafting accident at Dinosaur National Monument.

Capt. Michael Harp was on a private licensed river excursion when staff members were notified of a boat stuck on a rock in Hells Half Mile Rapids, a Class III/IV rapids.

Harp, 54, was found missing from the raft and was likely under the boat. When the group was later able to secure the boat, Harp was found unconscious and drifting downriver without a life jacket that had come loose.

Recovery efforts began in Canyon of Lodore, where the accident occurred. Friday morning, a commercial rafting company said it found Harp's body 10 miles downstream from the accident site.

Harp took over from his father and became a second-generation firefighter. He served in Utah's Task Force 1 and was deployed to Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks.

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