Breaking now. Bad fire in Yarnell. They are expecting the entire town to burn.
horrible !!!
Just saw that, too. Sad. 
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/30/us/arizona-missing-firefighters/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
wow, just heard it… man that is horrible.
Oh my God, 18 guys…
My thoughts and prayers are with the fallen firefighters, their families and friends.
Its at 19 now. Approximately 250 homes believed to be destroyed.
Reminiscent of the Mann Gulch fire near Helena, MT, when 13 smokejumpers were trapped and killed by a wildfire.
Absolutely tragic. My heart goes out to the families of these firefighters.
When was that? I remember that, or something similar, when I was a kid. Having been on scene of many fires as traffic control and scene containment I have seen how fast and unpredictable urban fires can be. Out in the desert, especially with the heat wave we have had this week, I cant imagine how fast things can turn on you.
Norman Maclean (A River Runs Through It) wrote a book about the incident titled Young Men and Fire. An excellent book, BTW, which also includes a lot of background information on the behavior of wildfires and the tactics employed by firefighters to protect themselves against the unpredictability of fires.
Which makes me believe something must have gone very wrong in Arizona. This was a hotshot crew and these guys, the incident commanders, and support teams plan their firefighting strategies to ensure the safety of the firefighters and always maintain an escape route should the fire shift unexpectedly.
News and witnesses in the area said it shifted really fast Basically the fire changed directions 180 degrees and there was 40 mph wind gusts. One lady stated that as she was evacuating here house caught on fire.
Plus this is pretty hilly terrain and you could get stuck pretty easily if things go bad.
If you live, work, and or play in Arizona I highly recommend the 100 Club as a worthwhile charity if one is looking for a place to give. In the next 24 hours the 100 Club will be at the door of each and every one of those firefighters killed and of those Arizona firefighters injured fighting this blaze. No membership or affiliation of the first responder is required, only that they gave all for the people of Arizona.
You can check them out here.
kmrtnsn, thanks very much for that link. I used to wear a St Florian’s medallion myself.
If anyone can give something, please do so.
RIP. A very sad day indeed. The 100 club is a very worthy cause and I donate regularly. Unfortunately I’ve seen them in action too many times and they are all good people.
I hear you that is sad. My thoughts go out as well. True heros.
Pat
I’ve read that the Granite Mountain hotshot crew was a twenty-man crew. Were they one man short on Sunday when this tragedy occurred or did one member of the team survive? Anybody have any additional info?
Again, shades of the Mann Gulch disaster–a fifteen-man smokejumper crew with two survivors.
I have a Prescott-area college friend who’s currently up there fighting that fire (actually, come to think of it I may have several…)
Very sad situation.
News is saying one guy survived bit burned pretty bad.
I read that book two summers ago and have been working on planning a trip to Mann Gulch since. An excellent look at the disaster that happened and a great look at wildfire behaviors. Norman MacLean’s son did a great book as well on the Storm King fire that killed 14 firefighters much more recently.
Wildland crews have balls like church bells. It’s one thing to run into a burning building when you have structural gear on, with a hoseline connected to a municipal water supply and a pump that’ll deliver all the water you’ll need. It’s a completely different world when you’re going out on a fireline with axes, shovels and chainsaws and going up against a fire that is mobile and capable of outrunning even a brush truck, and can do so at the merest shift of the wind.
RIP to each of those firefighters, and God Bless their families.
IIRC there were 16 men on the ground at Mann Gulch, 15 jumpers and 1 Forest Ranger. The team leader and two jumpers were the sole survivors. Two other jumpers survived the initial fire but died the following day of their burns. 13 fatalities…The Forest Service ranger who went back to investigate the scene ended up dying of a heart attack at the scene. Truly a sad story.