The young men killed was specially instructed as experienced members of a Hotshot crew but they confronted with an atypical wildfire evolution. It was a fire “explosion” due to sudden increase and shift in winds confirmed by the meteorologists.
The firefighters used their portable emergency shelters but without results because the unpredictable violence of the fire.
The President Barack Obama, informed about this event during his visit in Africa , expressed his entire compassion for the victims.
The fire in the Yarnell area was aggravated in consequences by explosions of propane tanks and destruction of power lines. Two rural mountain communities were affected. The fire burned at least 1,500 acres. “Only Mother Nature might be able to explain” said the Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo.
People stressed by the great danger in their residency territory found the time and the resources to build a memorial of flower bouquets and American flags at the Prescott fire station, to honor the memory of the missing 19 heroes.
The danger is already present right now in Arizona, in the midst of a historic drought. The fires can trigger unexpected in many areas of the state.
