Nineteen members of an elite fire-fighting brigade were killed on Sunday by a fast-moving wildfire in the town of Yarnell, Arizona after the blaze they were targeting accelerated, changed directions and trapped the men, officials said.
Well known as a dangerous job, Sunday’s tragedy marks the deadliest wildfire incident involving firefighters in over 30 years, according to the Associated Press.
The men, part of a team from the town of Prescott, Arizona called the Granite Mountain Hotshots, were among the most skilled of the units fighting the fires that have ravaged parts of Arizona and New Mexico in recent weeks.
Click Here: new zealand chiefs rugby jersey
“We grieve for the family. We grieve for the department. We grieve for the city,” said Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo at a news conference Sunday evening. “We’re devastated. We just lost 19 of the finest people you’ll ever meet.”
Explaining the conditions that led to the deaths, AP reports:
__________________________________________