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19 good men lost.
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 8:51 pm
by Gob
An Arizona town is mourning 19 firefighters killed on Sunday battling a ferocious wildfire about 80 miles (130km) north-west of Phoenix.
Residents of Prescott, where the crew was based, said they were numb and shaken by the loss of firefighters from an elite "hotshots" wildfire unit.
President Barack Obama said he was "heartbroken" and called the deceased firefighters "heroes".
It is the highest death toll for a fire crew in a single incident since 9/11.
The fire, which remains entirely uncontained, was sparked by lightning on Friday and has spread rapidly amid high heat, low humidity and strong winds. It has grown to 8,000 acres (3,200 ha), destroyed about 200 homes and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents.
In Tanzania on Monday, Mr Obama said Americans' thoughts and prayers were with the firefighters' families.
"This is one more reminder of the fact that our first responders, they put their lives on the line every single day," Mr Obama said.
Re: 19 good men lost.
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 8:54 pm
by Lord Jim
I was going to start a thread about this...
What a terrible tragedy; the average age of these guys was 22....
Re: 19 good men lost.
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 8:57 pm
by dales
A tragedy, indeed.
Re: 19 good men lost.
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 12:23 am
by Long Run
A very sad day. Norman Maclean wrote an excellent account of the first strike team lost to a blow out fire like this in his Young Men and Fire; it really brings home the danger faced by these men and their amazing bravery.
Re: 19 good men lost.
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 1:28 am
by rubato
Shocking tragedy.
Re: 19 good men lost.
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 11:51 am
by oldr_n_wsr
My thoughts go out to their families.
Re: 19 good men lost.
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 12:36 pm
by dgs49
The word, "heroes" is often thrown about promiscuously. But a true hero is one who risks his own safety and life for the protection of others, and these guys were heroes in the finest sense of the word.
May they rest in peace, and may their survivors take comfort in what they were doing when they perished. A true tragedy.
Re: 19 good men lost.
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 1:43 pm
by Big RR
Indeed.
Re: 19 good men lost.
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 4:25 pm
by Rick
Fighting wildfires on slopes is very tricky business and takes a rare breed.
They'll definitely be missed...
Re: 19 good men lost.
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 7:03 pm
by Econoline
dgs49 wrote:The word, "heroes" is often thrown about promiscuously. But a true hero is one who risks his own safety and life for the protection of others, and these guys were heroes in the finest sense of the word.
May they rest in peace, and may their survivors take comfort in what they were doing when they perished. A true tragedy.
Well said, and I agree 100%.