AP
Investigators from across the US will be working this week to try to answer questions over what exactly went wrong in Arizona.
PRESCOTT, Ariz. — Three days after 19 firefighters perished in a wildfire, questions over what exactly went wrong loomed largest.
Investigators from across the US will be working this week to try to answer that, examining radio logs, the site of the tragedy, and weather reports. They'll also surely be talking to the sole survivor of the blaze, who warned his fellow firefighters and friends when he saw the wildfire switch directions and head straight for them.
In the nation's biggest loss of firefighters since 9/11, violent wind gusts on Sunday turned what was believed to be a relatively manageable lightning-ignited forest fire in the town of Yarnell into a death trap that left no escape for the team of Hotshots, most of them in the prime of their lives.
REMEMBERING THE 'HOTSHOT' FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS
PHOTOS: 19 'HOTSHOT' FIREFIGHTERS KILLED IN ARIZONA WILDFIRE
WIFE OF FALLEN FIREFIGHTER REACTS TO HUSBAND'S DEATH
Only one member of the crew, identified Tuesday as 21-year-old Brendan McDonough, survived; he was on a hilltop serving as a lookout and warned his crew that the weather was changing rapidly, and that the fire had changed directions because of strong, erratic winds. McDonough made it to safety, while the rest were overtaken by the blaze.
AP
Firefighter Brendan McDonough embraces a mourner near the end of a candlelight vigil. McDonough was the sole survivor of the 20-man Granite Mountain Hotshot Crew after an out-of-control blaze killed 19 on Sunday near Yarnell, Ariz
"He did exactly what he was supposed to," said Wade Ward, who implored the media to respect McDonough's privacy as he and the families mourn. "He's trying to deal with the same things that we're all trying to deal with, but you can understand how that's compounded being there on the scene."
McDonough grieved with families of the fallen firefighters Tuesday evening at a public memorial service in Prescott. More than 3,000 people gathered at a high school football stadium to remember the 19 men during a service punctuated by repeated moments of silence amid emotional remarks from pastors and officials.
"On behalf of the Prescott Fire Department, I want to thank all of you," said Ralph Lucas, a battalion chief for the Prescott Fire Department. "This has brought us to our knees but at some point there will be another house fire or wildfire."
After one moment of silence, 19 purple balloons - one for each of the fallen firefighters - were released into the air.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Arizona fire investigators probe what went wrong in massive blaze that killed 19 elite 'hotshot' firefighters
Dengan url
http://makananrasaenak.blogspot.com/2013/07/arizona-fire-investigators-probe-what.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Arizona fire investigators probe what went wrong in massive blaze that killed 19 elite 'hotshot' firefighters
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar