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19 firefighters dead

LDB

LDB

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Oh man, that is whatever word is exponentially worse than horrible.
 
Moot

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I came across another cover of Cold Missouri Waters, this one by The Black Irish Band. I never heard of them, but good stuff.
 
layoutshooter

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
It must have been a VERY hot fire. They had deployed their personal fire shelters. That was their last chance effort. It is rare for them to be deployed. I was never forced to deploy mine on a fire, only in training.

I talked to very few hotshots who had. I was only ever on one fire where a man was killed. It was in the Everglades. It was a hotshot from the Florida fire service. He was not killed by the fire itself, he was thrown off a piece of equipment and hit his head on the rock that makes up much of the floor of the Everglades. I was about 2 miles from him when it happened.
 
21cExp

21cExp

Veteran Expediter
I was reading about this from several news sources in the wee hours this morning, and viewed images of the fire, and kept reading more details, and was just saddened. Saw a huge fire outside of Phoenix once, from an airplane. It was frightening, and this one was much worse. Been thinking of these guys on and off all day.

They were the best of their type and faced extreme danger regularly. From what I read, the 19 that died were all from the same unit. Such a sad, terrible, loss. Worst tragedy involving firefighters since 9/11/01, several sources said.

Cool links, Moot, to the song; that's one I'd not heard.

There's a great Norman Maclean book, too, about the Mann Gulch Fire and the Smokejumpers who lost their lives there: Young Men & Fire.
 
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layoutshooter

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
21cExp said:
I was reading about this from several news sources in the wee hours this morning, and viewed images of the fire, and kept reading more details, and was just saddened. Saw a huge fire outside of Phoenix once, from an airplane. It was frightening, and this one was much worse. Been thinking of these guys on and off all day.

They were the best of their type and faced extreme danger regularly. From what I read, the 19 that died were all from the same unit. Such a sad, terrible, loss. Worst tragedy involving firefighters since 9/11/01, several sources said.

Cool links, Moot, to the song; that's one I'd not heard.
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Hotshots come in from all over the country to fight these fires. The supervisor of the crew was a hotshot from NC. He was one of those killed. It is all over the news here, in NC, where we are at now.

Most states have hotshot crews. When I went to hotshot training in PA the first time there were over 200 in our class. That number kept growing with each passing year.

There is some mis-reporting going on but that is not surprising. The media is not very good at getting facts straight. It is very possible that many who were killed were from a single crew. It is also possible that there were others from out of state, like the on from NC who was killed, that were attached to the Prescott crew. It is often the case that in state crews are "broke up" and given out of state crews to form new crews with each new crew having in state hotshots who know the area to help the out of state guys.

Wildfires are awesome. They are able to create their own weather patterns. I have felt the ground tremble as the past our fire lines. They can be deadly. We are seeing bigger, hotter fires, than in times past. Mainly due to the unwise fire fighting that went on for decades that has allowed fuel levels to reach unnatural amounts. Couple that with a drought and it is a recipe for disaster.
 
layoutshooter

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
21cExp said:
Yes, it will be interesting to see how it shakes down. Most reports I've read, from LA Times, ABC, USAToday, etc have said the 19 were all from Granite Mountain Hotshots out of Prescott AZ.

Here are the names of the firefighters lost:

Names of Firefighters Killed in Arizona Wildfire - ABC News

May they all rest in peace and be long remembered.
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It would not surprise me all if some of the PA hotshots are out west right now. There are still a few from the crew I fought fire with on that hotshot crew. They were a LOT younger than I was. LOL! Most states hotshot crews are fully mobilized this time of year. Sure wish I was still with them. I miss those days and those guys.
 
Moot

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
21cExp said:
There's a great Norman Maclean book, too, about the Mann Gulch Fire and the Smokejumpers who lost their lives there: Young Men & Fire.
Click to expand...
Keelaghan credits Maclean's book as his inspiration for the song.
 
21cExp

21cExp

Veteran Expediter
Moot said:
Keelaghan credits Maclean's book as his inspiration for the song.
Click to expand...

Didnt know that, but sure makes sense. I was given the book years ago as example of fine writing.

Had an interesting time last night following vid after vid, started by your link to the song, learning more about both musicians and the Mann Gulch fire and tragedy.
 
Maverick

Maverick

Seasoned Expediter
These are men of adventure, high in spirit, and individualistic in approach. The dedication is a result of these qualities, IMHO. It does not seem to work in reverse.

Too many times I've witnessed people who want to be hero's, or people of renown, but do not possess the tools to pull it off. This group knew the risks and took it anyway, and perhaps their last thoughts would be of family and friends, as they fought for their lives.

I'm betting those same family and friends will find comfort in knowing these men are the last of a rare breed now a days.......and will mourn and honor them in kind.

How could you not?
 
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