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<header class="entry-header" style="margin: 0px auto; width: 584.265625px; color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.375px;">[h=1]Three firefighters killed in Washington wildfire[/h]Posted on August 19, 2015 by Bill Gabbert
</header>(Originally published at 6:12 p.m. PT, August 19, 2015; updated at 6:53 p.m. PT, August 19, 2015))
From the Seattle Times:
Fires near Twisp, Washington. The dots represent heat detected by a satellite, with the red ones being the most recent, recorded at 1:05 p.m. PT on August 19, 2015. (click to enlarge)
The two articles above were time-stamped at 5:50 and 5:58 p.m. PT, August 19. The reports say shifting winds may have contributed to the entrapment of the firefighters. The weather station between Twisp and Winthrop, NCSW1, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesday recorded winds from all directions, starting from the north at 8 a.m. and rotating clockwise until they were from the north-northwest at 5 p.m. The wind speeds were light, at 1 to 6 mph until 5 p.m. when they increased to 10 with gusts to 20 mph. The relative humidity was in the mid-teens and the high temperature was 95 degrees.
Our sincere condolences go out to the families of the injured and deceased firefighters.
</header>(Originally published at 6:12 p.m. PT, August 19, 2015; updated at 6:53 p.m. PT, August 19, 2015))
From the Seattle Times:
Three firefighters were killed Wednesday afternoon [August 19] when winds shifted and they became trapped while fighting a wildfire near Twisp [Washington].
As many as four other firefighters were injured. It wasn’t immediately clear which agency the firefighters worked for.
“I was just told that three firefighters died while battling the Twisp fire and four were injured,” Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. “My heart breaks over the loss of life … We will also keep the injured firefighters in our prayers.”
An excerpt from an article at Q13 Fox:As many as four other firefighters were injured. It wasn’t immediately clear which agency the firefighters worked for.
“I was just told that three firefighters died while battling the Twisp fire and four were injured,” Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. “My heart breaks over the loss of life … We will also keep the injured firefighters in our prayers.”
TWISP, Wash. — Three firefighters were killed and three to four others were injured Wednesday while battling the Twisp River Fire near the town of Twisp, Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers said.
The sheriff said the wind suddenly shifted and the firefighters became trapped as the fire was turned back on them.
Rogers said they are not yet releasing the names of the firefighters’ agencies because relatives may not have been notified yet.
Rogers confirmed an earlier report that three to four firefighters suffered burns while battling the blaze and were transported from the scene. Rogers said they are expected to survive their injuries.
About 3,000 residents in the towns of Twisp and Winthrop in north-central Washington have been ordered to evacuate. The rapidly spreading new fire that caused the evacuations is represented by the six red dots in the map below, 6 miles northwest of Twisp. Heat from the fire was detected by a satellite at 1:05 p.m. PT, August 19. Click on the map to see a larger version.The sheriff said the wind suddenly shifted and the firefighters became trapped as the fire was turned back on them.
Rogers said they are not yet releasing the names of the firefighters’ agencies because relatives may not have been notified yet.
Rogers confirmed an earlier report that three to four firefighters suffered burns while battling the blaze and were transported from the scene. Rogers said they are expected to survive their injuries.
Fires near Twisp, Washington. The dots represent heat detected by a satellite, with the red ones being the most recent, recorded at 1:05 p.m. PT on August 19, 2015. (click to enlarge)The two articles above were time-stamped at 5:50 and 5:58 p.m. PT, August 19. The reports say shifting winds may have contributed to the entrapment of the firefighters. The weather station between Twisp and Winthrop, NCSW1, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesday recorded winds from all directions, starting from the north at 8 a.m. and rotating clockwise until they were from the north-northwest at 5 p.m. The wind speeds were light, at 1 to 6 mph until 5 p.m. when they increased to 10 with gusts to 20 mph. The relative humidity was in the mid-teens and the high temperature was 95 degrees.
Our sincere condolences go out to the families of the injured and deceased firefighters.
