Fire captain, wife, 3 sons found dead after flash flood in Utah canyon; daughter is family's sole survivor - CBS News

What the report says

CBS News reported that five members of a Utah family died after a flash flood swept through a canyon area in southern Utah during a hiking outing. Law enforcement said the family had gone Friday to Sunglow Campground, a red rock canyon site near Bicknell, for a day trip. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office said investigators believe heavy rain-driven flooding caused the deaths.

The Provo Fire Department identified one of the victims as Capt. Spencer Long and said members of his family also were killed. A GoFundMe page organized by a family friend named the other victims as Long’s wife, Katrina, and their three sons, Reid, Thayne and Gage. The page said the couple’s daughter, Lydia, was not on the trip and is the family’s sole survivor.

According to CBS, deputies were called after the body of a young male was found in the flood wash late Friday. The remaining bodies were recovered late Friday and Saturday. Wayne County Sheriff Micah Gulley said several agencies assisted in the search, including Sevier County Search and Rescue, the Utah Highway Patrol and a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter crew.

The deaths prompted tributes from the Provo Fire Department, which changed its Facebook profile image to a badge with a mourning bar, and from Summit Medical Spa, where Katrina Long was a co-founder. CBS affiliate KUTV, citing deputies, reported that heavy rain and flooding had created hazardous conditions for outdoor recreation in the area. The fundraiser for the surviving daughter had collected more than $184,000 by Monday, CBS reported.