18 firefighters die in AZ wildfire

[tk13]

Brutal.

http://dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=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.

[DaFace]

Damn. That hits hard. RIP.

[chefsos]

Oh, man. That's horrible. Condolences to all their families.

[Psyko Tek]

damn that's hard
condolences

[Donger]

Crap, that's awful.

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

This sucks. Condolences to all their families.

[beach tribe]

How does that happen?

[doomy3]

Ugh. Terrible news.

I can't even wrap my mind around how something like this could happen in the middle of wilderness. Was there a huge explosion or something? I just don't understand how 18 firefighters could die at once in something like this. In an enclosed building, I could see it, but I just don't understand this one.

[Demonpenz]

Alot of times it isn't the fire that gets you. It is the smoke.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

How does that happen?

Just guessing, but a quick change in wind and kindling that goes up like the Hindenburg could easily lead to them becoming encircled.

[mikeyis4dcats.]

Ugh. Terrible news.

I can't even wrap my mind around how something like this could happen in the middle of wilderness. Was there a huge explosion or something? I just don't understand how 18 firefighters could die at once in something like this. In an enclosed building, I could see it, but I just don't understand this one.

likely got surrounded. A huge fire like that can move quickly, and eats all the free oxygen in the air. they may have gotten surrounded and then suffocated as the fire consumed the breathable air and their supplies ran out.

[MotherfuckerJones]

Ugh...fucking fires. RIP fellas

[TLO]

Fuck. That's awful. Thoughts and prayers for all involved.

[LiveSteam]

sad

[Rain Man]

Wow, that's terrible. I wonder if they got some sort of groupthink going where everyone thought someone else would call a retreat, or if something just blew up without warning. Sad thing.

[Ace Gunner]

probably cutting breaks and the wind shifted. hate to hear this happen.

[Frazod]

Heartbreaking. I'm watching the live news feed from Channel 12 (I assume from Phoenix) right now.

And holy shit, the temperature there right now is 109.

[Bwana]

Damn sad story, RIP.

[lewdog]

And holy shit, the temperature there right now is 109.

Yes, yes it is.

:facepalm:

[Frazod]

Yes, yes it is.

:facepalm:

I thought the desert got cold at night? Fuck.

[Bump]

that's terrible

[lewdog]

I thought the desert got cold at night? ****.

I assume you are talking about Phoenix, because other cities not as large here definitely get a bit cooler. Phoenix does not in the summer.

The concrete here just absorbs everything and radiates it all night.

There are a few weeks in the summer where if it stays consistently hot for so many days on end, that the lowest night temp we will see will be like 90-95. We had three consecutive days last year where the temp didn't get below 100 degrees even at night!

[Ace Gunner]

Heartbreaking. I'm watching the live news feed from Channel 12 (I assume from Phoenix) right now.

And holy shit, the temperature there right now is 109.

record breaking heat in the deserts out west this weekend.

[Frazod]

I assume you are talking about Phoenix, because other cities not as large here definitely get a bit cooler. Phoenix does not in the summer.

The concrete here just absorbs everything and radiates it all night.

There are a few weeks in the summer where if it stays consistently hot for so many days on end, that the lowest night temp we will see will be like 90-95. We had three consecutive days last year where the temp didn't get below 100 degrees even at night!

Didn't know that - sounds hellish. I've been out there before, but just once and it was in March.

[lewdog]

Didn't know that - sounds hellish. I've been out there before, but just once and it was in March.

Yea it is pretty unreal and is almost the complete opposite of all my years living in Montana.

But we like it. And it really isn't as bad as you think. I would take it over the humidity of the Midwest any day. I can't do that at all.

You just know that you have about 3 months of hot as hell heat. But 70-80 degree Thanksgivings/Christmases more than make up for it! Plus my commute is never messed up because of the weather. lol

[Pants]

God, that's just fucking terrible. I just read they were deploying their emergency tent/shelters when something happened to kill them all.

[chefsos]

God, that's just fucking terrible. I just read they were deploying their emergency tent/shelters when something happened to kill them all.Ah, damn. That's just what happened on Storm King Mountain. Holy crap, that's 19 years ago now that I look it up.

[tk13]

Press conference now... says 19 died, the entire crew. There was one survivor who was not in that area at the time.

[MotherfuckerJones]

Yea it is pretty unreal and is almost the complete opposite of all my years living in Montana.

But we like it. And it really isn't as bad as you think. I would take it over the humidity of the Midwest any day. I can't do that at all.

You just know that you have about 3 months of hot as hell heat. But 70-80 degree Thanksgivings/Christmases more than make up for it! Plus my commute is never messed up because of the weather. lol

Yup thats what I like about Charleston, no snow. We get rain thats about it lol. It does get miserably hot for about 3 months then its nice

[ClevelandBronco]

How tragic. They're saying that the Yarnell fire appears to have been started by lightning. It would be doubly tragic (if that's possible) if it weren't of natural cause.

[Love Gun]

I assume you are talking about Phoenix, because other cities not as large here definitely get a bit cooler. Phoenix does not in the summer.

The concrete here just absorbs everything and radiates it all night.

There are a few weeks in the summer where if it stays consistently hot for so many days on end, that the lowest night temp we will see will be like 90-95. We had three consecutive days last year where the temp didn't get below 100 degrees even at night!

Was the exact same way in Las Vegas when I was at UNLV.

[Chiefs Pantalones]

DPS officer that first arrived on the scene and saw the 19 firefighters dead is talking to counselors right now. He's gonna need lots of it. I can only imagine what that sight was like. We live an hour to the north it's pretty sad.

[Fritz88]

God. This is terrible.
Posted via Mobile Device

[BlackHelicopters]

Sad

[Chaunceythe3rd]

Just guessing, but a quick change in wind and kindling that goes up like the Hindenburg could easily lead to them becoming encircled.

This. And intense wildfires make their own weather. Microbursts where a column of rising air collapses to the ground and creates severe winds in all directions, even counter to the prevailing winds, are not uncommon. Prevailing winds are consistently from one direction and pushing the fire then all of a sudden a microburst either accelerates the fire in the same direction or forces it in another direction. May have been what happened here. So sad to think of the loss of young life. May God give their loved ones the strength to cope with this tragic loss.

[Frazod]

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