An uncontained wildfire in the state of Arizona has killed 19 elite firefighters aged between 21 and 43, the highest death toll for a fire crew in a single incident since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Their bodies received an honour guard on Monday as they were brought to Phoenix for post-mortem examinations.
The firefighters, who died on Sunday 30 June, were part of the Granite Mountain Hotshots units, and had battled other wildfires in New Mexico and Arizona in recent weeks, officials say. Fourteen of the deceased crewmen were in their twenties and many were described as family men.
“They were dedicated, hard-working people,” Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said of his team members. “I never heard them complain. They always seemed to be playing pranks on each other and a few on me. And I had a great deal of respect for them.”
President Barack Obama, who was visiting Tanzania when the news reached him, has offered federal support to battle the blaze. He said the incident would prompt a reassessment of how to handle large, destructive wildfires.
About 200 additional firefighters have been brought to tackle the blaze, bringing the total force to about 400. They included other “hotshot” teams sent from around the US.
The fire was believed to have been sparked by a lightning strike on Friday near the small mountain town of Yarnell.
The uncontained conflagration is said to have devastated some 8,400 acres of land. Over 200 structures, mostly homes, have been destroyed, and two towns evacuated.
Wildfires have grown more intense in recent years at a time when U.S. firefighting budgets have been slashed. Since 2000, US wildfires have burned an average of 7 million acres a year, up from an average of 3.3 million acres in the 1990s, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).
Meanwhile, the U.S. Forest Service’s Fire and Aviation Management Budget was cut by 5% this financial year, reducing the number of firefighters to 10,000 from 10,500, NIFC spokeswoman Jennifer Jones said.
The Yarnell blaze is one of numerous wildfires in across western US states in recent weeks. Experts say it could be one of the worst fire seasons on record.
