18 firefighters die in AZ wildfire

[tk13]

Brutal.

http://dcourier.com/main.asp?Section...ticleID=120733

PRESCOTT - The Prescott Fire Department lost nearly its entire crew today - the Granite Mountain Hotshots - with 18 firefighters dying and one surviving.

Prescott Fire spokesman Wade Ward told The Daily Courier the crew was battling the Yarnell fire, which has resulted in evacuations as it has grown to an estimated 1,300 acres in size.

A report of eight injured firefighters earlier in the evening was unconfirmed.

Ward said the extent of the survivor's injuries were not known at this time. He also declined to release firefighters' identities.

Further information was unavailable.

Volunteers with the American Red Cross Grand Canyon Chapter opened a shelter on the Prescott campus of Yavapai College Sunday for displaced residents. Expecting large numbers, Red Cross Chapter Communications Officer Trudy Thompson-Rice said plans are already under way to open a second shelter closer to Yarnell.

Yavapai County Sheriff's Office Community Relations Specialist Anthony J. Palermo said structures were burning as of Sunday night, but could not confirm how many structures were burned.