Remember 19 Firefighters Lost In Arizona Blaze

Fanned by hot winds, a deadly blaze exploded out of control on Sunday in Arizona, overtaking 19 firefighters, 18 of them from the same elite Prescott, Ariz., Granite Mountain Hotshots team. NBC’s Miguel Almaguer reports.

Only a “perfect storm” of conditions could have overtaken the elite team that lost 19 men battling a wildfire in Arizona, authorities said Monday as they came to grips with the deadliest single event for firefighters since Sept. 11.

The fire, raging on a hot and gusty Sunday afternoon, took out all but one member of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a team known for its extensive training and demanding fitness regimen.

The men were killed about 85 miles northwest of Phoenix, near the town of Yarnell. It was the biggest loss of firefighter life since 340 died at the World Trade Center. It was the worst in a wildfire since 1933, when 29 were killed in Los Angeles.

“We don’t know exactly what happened,” Wade Ward, a spokesman for the Prescott Fire Department, told NBC’s TODAY. “I can tell you that this is a very elite group of men. I can tell you that it had to be the perfect storm in order for this to happen.”

Authorities stressed that they were still investigating, but Mary Rasmussen, a spokeswoman for Prescott National Forest, said it appeared the 19 were engaged in a “direct attack” — getting close to the fire and trying to create a break to starve it of fuel.

She described the maneuver as “one foot in the black and one foot in the green,” and said it was only done when the flames were 5 feet high or less: “They’re right up against it.”

The conditions Sunday were extreme, with unusual wind, she said, and authorities were checking what other factors might have contributed.

Art Morrison, a state forestry spokesman, told The Associated Press that the men had been forced to deploy emergency fire shelters — tent-like structures meant to protect breathable air and shield them from the heat.

Investigators believe the fire, which started Friday, was sparked by lightning. It has claimed more than 200 buildings in Yarnell, a town of only about 700 people.

Excessive heat warnings were posted over the weekend in Arizona, and parts of California approached 130 degrees.

Hotshot fire crews often hike into the wilderness lugging 40 or 50 pounds of equipment, including chain saws and other heavy gear, to clear brush and trees and anything else that might feed the flames.

The Granite Mountain crew had battled blazes in New Mexico and elsewhere in Arizona in recent weeks.

“If you ever met them, you would meet the finest, most dedicated people,” Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said. “They’ll sleep out there as they try to develop fire lines and put protection between homes and natural resources and still try to remain safe.”

Juliann Ashcraft told AZCentral.com, the website of The Arizona Republic and NBC affiliate KPNX, that she and her four children were watching the news when they learned that her husband, Andrew, was among the dead.

“They died heroes,” she said through tears. “And we’ll miss them. We love them.”

President Barack Obama, in a statement, described the fallen men as “heroes,” and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said it was “as dark a day as I can remember.” Arizona Sen. John McCain said the men’s sacrifice would not be forgotten.

About 200 firefighters were battling the blaze late Sunday, and 400 were being deployed Monday. Authorities planned a news conference later Monday morning Arizona time.

Trudy Thompson Rice, a spokeswoman for the Grand Canyon chapter of the American Red Cross, was at a shelter at a high school where 15 evacuees from the fire were sleeping early Monday. She said the evacuees knew some of the firefighters.

“You don’t want to lose any firefighters, but when it’s your neighbors it makes it particularly difficult,” she said. “They do hand-to-hand combat with these fires, and it’s very difficult work.”

Chuck Overmyer told The Associated Press that he and his wife, Ninabill, were helping friends leave when the blaze switched directions and moved toward their home. They loaded what they could, including three dogs and a 1930 model hot rod, on a trailer.

As he looked out his rearview mirror, he could see embers on the roof of his garage.

“We knew it was gone,” he said.

By Ian Johnston, Andrew Rafferty and Erin McClam, NBC News

The Associated Press contributed to this article.