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19 firefighters killed in Arizona fire, now at 8,400 acres


umbertino
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The loss of the elite crew ranks as one of the worst wildfire disasters in history.

 

 

William M. Welch and Gary Strauss, USA TODAY and The Arizona Republic staff 10:54 p.m. EDT July 1, 2013

 

 

 

PRESCOTT, Ariz. — As firefighters tried to gain control over a stubborn, swelling wildfire near here Monday, this close-knit mountain town was trying to contain its grief.

 

Many flocked to Prescott Fire Station No. 7, the small, one-story base of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, the elite firefighting crew that lost 19 of 20 men as they were overcome Sunday by the swift, erratic Yarnell Hill Fire 30 miles to the south.

 

Juliann Ashcraft said she learned that her husband, Andrew, 29, was among the dead by watching the news with her four children. "They died heroes," she said, wiping away tears. "And we'll miss them. We love them."

 

Most were in their 20s, but ranged in age from 21 to 43. Outside a gated, locked fence where more than a dozen vehicles left behind by the lost firefighters remain parked, a stream of tearful mourners honored the loss of neighbors, relatives and friends with flowers, signs, balloons, flags, caps, letters, religious figures and other mementos.

 

Prescott resident Keith Gustafson placed 19 water bottles in the shape of a heart. "When I heard about this, it just hit me hard," he said. "It hit me like a ton of bricks."

 

The blaze — the worst wildfire tragedy since 1933 and the biggest loss of firefighters since 9/11 took 343 New York Fire Department personnel — was ignited Friday by lightning. The 2,000 acres burning Sunday quadrupled by Monday, with 8,400 acres engulfed in towering flames and unthinkable heat. Some 200 homes and businesses have been devoured in the towns of Glen Isla and Yarnell, 30 miles south of Prescott and about 85 miles northwest of Phoenix.

 

Erratic winds and dry grasses have been feeding the inferno as more than 400 firefighters were trying to flank it from three sides in triple-digit heat. Air tankers and helicopters were also saturating the area to keep it from spreading.

 

"This is a nightmare scenario for firefighting: thunderstorms producing little rainfall, unpredictable, shifting winds, and, of course, lightning strikes," Weather Channel meteorologist Jon Erdman said.

 

Amie Nichols and fiancé Dustin Oliver came to honor Oliver's cousin and close friend, nicknamed Tiny. "He was always a good guy — always funny," said Oliver, who declined to name his cousin. "We grew up together. I haven't slept since I heard about it yesterday."

 

 

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/01/arizona-firefighters-disaster/2478537/

Edited by umbertino
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My In-Laws lived in Prescott Valley until 2 week ago. When we would visit we would travel up through Peeples Valley and Yarnell. What a tragic loss of life. Those firefighters will truly be missed and their heroic actions will not be forgotten.

God bless them and their loved ones.

Lets not forget the people that live in those valleys that are affected. They also need our prayers and thoughts.

Edited by nstoolman1
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