DINOSAUR, Colo — A 27-year veteran with the Salt Lake City Fire Department who responded to the 9/11 terror attacks died in a rafting accident in Colorado.
The fire department identified Captain Michael Harp, 50, of Sandy, Utah as the victim who died in the accident during a private permitted trip along the Green River inside the Dinosaur National Monument.
Moffat County Sheriff's Office said monument staff were notified around 4 p.m. on Thursday by a commercial rafting company that a boat was pinned on a rock in the rapid named Hells Half Mile, and that one person from the group was missing and suspected to be pinned under the raft.
The group was able to unpin the boat, but when Harp was dislodged, he was unresponsive and was drifting downriver after losing his life jacket.
River Patrol Rangers traveled through the Canyon of Lodore by raft and intercepted the group, and additional support also responded by car.
Around 7:45 a.m. on Friday, Harp's body was found by guides about 10 miles downstream from the accident site.
Harp was a second-generation member of the fire department, following his father who also served the department.
He was a dedicated member of Utah Task Force 1 and was deployed to Ground Zero in New York City after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
"Captain Michael Harp dedicated his life to the service of not only the citizens of Salt Lake City, but also his fellow firefighters," the department posted on social media. "His legacy of service, leadership, compassion, and contagious laughter will forever be remembered by all who knew him."
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