The 19 firefighters killed Sunday in Arizona were members of an elite crew known for battling the region’s worst fires, including two earlier this season before all but one member of the team died in the deadliest U.S. wildfire for firefighters in decades.
Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said the 19 firefighters, whose names had not been released, were part of the city’s fire department. Before the fire near Yarnell, the group — one of 13 Arizona Hotshot crews — had been profiled in local media last year as they prepared for the fire season and this year as they took on a blaze near Prescott earlier this month...
State forestry spokesman Art Morrison told the Associated Press that the firefighters were forced to deploy their emergency fire shelters — tent-like structures meant to shield firefighters from flames and heat — when they were caught in the fire. An estimated 200 homes were also destroyed by the blaze, which fed on dry grass near the communities of Yarnell and Grand Island.
Read more: 19 firefighters killed in Arizona wildfire were part of elite Hotshot crew | Fox News
I would guess they died from carbon monoxide and lack of oxygen, not from being burned to death. They probably did not suffer being burned to death, but rather likely were gassed to death or lack of oxygen.
Speculatively, being featured on TV may have lead them psychologically to take more risks then normal to prove/believing how good they are. Can't know.
Fires can shift to conflagrations very quickly and without warning. This happens when the heat of a fire becomes so high that it is that heat - not actual flame travel - spreading the fire. In the past in major urban fires, even fire engines would get trapped when that started happening - suddenly all the buildings across the street would just explode in flames from the intense heat. In wildfires, that effect then also can be enhanced by wind and wind shift.
Grassfires, if intense and combined with dry dead tree and bush droppings can travel almost as fast as the wind itself as it takes little to cause grass to flame even without any flames yet reaching it.
According to what I read, they're mandatory equipment for every wildfire firefighter. They've saved upwards of 300 lives. Apparently, they count on the fire burning over them in a hurry.
OMG.
These were the best of the best. Think...the green berets of the fire fighter world. Top scores on their cpats, etc.
But no one controls the wind. Damn crying shame. I feel for their families.
If California would go back to their old practice of removing the underbrush from open areas - which environmentalists were successful at stopping - it would get rid of a lot of the "gasoline" that feeds these fires.
Let me start of by saying my wife's cousin worked for the Prescott Fire Department and was a Hot Shot with the department until last year and since moved on to better things. So it's big deal to my wife and her family as they knew most of them. I barely remember meeting them at barbecues. So I am not being rude, insensitive or anything like that with what I am about to say.
Okay.. two issues.. 1) They were close to best of the best but Smokejumpers are the best of the best when it comes to wildfires. But no big deal it can be confusing.
2) Weren't you one of those I was arguing with about knowledge and how it shouldn't be free (my position) because training and certification is very important? You said having an AST cert didn't mean you were a good mechanic or something to that effect? These guys were highly trained (years of it) and despite their training they couldn't survive. Yet if these guys (and gals) didn't exist and didn't have exclusive training you'd have hundreds of deaths a year from the average joe learning on the fly.
I don't remember that discussion with you. At all. I think it must've been someone else. ??
If California would go back to their old practice of removing the underbrush from open areas - which environmentalists were successful at stopping - it would get rid of a lot of the "gasoline" that feeds these fires.
talking about Kevin. Whom I quoted.
And this happened in Arizona.
In dry seasons around here, constant deliberate control-fire are an absolute must. There are hundreds of thousands of acres highly inaccessible and with literally a couple foot deep layer of dry dead palm prawns, branches, leaves, dead grass, branches, pine needles with then the dried upper grown grass and bushes too. If that gets going by a fire, usually caused by lightling storms, the fire is intense and difficult to reach if not impossible.
For this, every year, there is a bulldozed maze of fire lanes for access - which double somewhat as fire slow-downs. However, there also are continuous controlled burns too to limit how much a fire can spread - as fire won't burn thru an already burned out patch. Yet the areas so diverse and government owned, no one complains.
In California and apparently Arizona and other areas, homeowners don't what patches of wildland near THEIR houses control burned. As a result, there will always be "out of control" and enormous wildfires there. Fighting fire with fire is a necessity, and when denied the result WILL be massive fires and lose of life and property.
If one studies nature without human intervention, fire is a natural cycle both to prevent catastrophic mass fires and for new growth and new life. But no one with a house in the hills or mountains wants to see a patch of burned land while driving home, so this isn't done - and the consequences 100% predictable later - a worse, more destructive and more deadly fires.
Makes sense. And I hope you're right -- that they died from lack of oxygen. I think they'd know that -- because if they were found in their tents, that's what it would indicate I think. I don't care how "protected" one would believe they'd be in their tent, when the pain from the flames became too severe, they'd be on their feet running. I think that makes me feel better. Gads.
I hope this gives pause to firefighting strategy. ?? The reporters did say that the reason they were there at all was to save homes -- although I'm sure they were trying to contain the fire more than anything. I'd think fire containment could be fought from the air. ?? (Listen to Armchair Firefighting Quarterback MaggieD.)
... being featured on TV may have lead them psychologically to take more risks then normal to prove/believing how good they are. ....
I find this insinuating comment insulting to the courage of these brave young men, who put themselves between YOUR homes and property and the danger of a horrible blaze. Shame on you!
Arizona is a very sad place today
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