Four Die Battling Washington State Wildfire
Wednesday July 11 2:57 PM ET
"God help these families. -josh"
WINTHROP, Wash. (Reuters) - High winds fanned a campfire into an explosive wildfire in central Washington, killing four firefighters and badly burning another, the U.S. Forest Service said on Wednesday.
The blaze was the deadliest in the United States in seven years, the Forest Service said.
About 40 firefighters were battling a minor fire started by an unattended campfire in the rocky hills north of Winthrop, Washington, on Tuesday, when rising temperatures and winds quickly spread the flames from a 10-acre stretch to more than 2,500 acres.
``The winds came up and it sort of exploded. Some folks were trapped. A number of folks employed emergency fire shelters,'' said Forest Service spokesman Rex Holloway. Other firefighters survived by jumping in a nearby creek.
The bodies were found just before midnight on Tuesday. The victims included Tom Craven, 30, of Ellensburg, Washington; Karen Fitzpatrick, 18, of Yakima, Washington; Devin Weaver, 21, of Yakima; and Jessica Johnson, 19, of Yakima, the Forest Service said.
Another Yakima firefighter, Jason Emhoff, suffered burns on 25 percent of his body and was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, about 100 miles to the west. Emhoff, 21, was listed in serious condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Three other firefighters and two civilians were treated for minor injuries, the Forest Service said.
Emergency fire shelters made of aluminum and fiberglass saved more than a dozen firefighters engulfed when the fire roared past their containment line, but others died inside the hut-like wraps.
At a news conference near the site, Forest Service Fire Management Officer Pete Soderquist defended the agency's handling of the blaze, the deadliest U.S. wildfire since 14 firefighters burned to death in Colorado in 1994.
``Thirteen lives were saved because of the actions that they took. That included some heroic efforts by some of the people on that crew who took in additional folks who did not have shelters,'' Soderquist said, his voice quaking. ``We're very sorry that people died, but a lot of people made it.''
Fire crews have temporarily pulled back from the blaze, which was not threatening homes or other structures, and a national fire team was on its way with at least 30 additional firefighters, plus ground and air tankers, Holloway said.
Last year was the worst U.S. wildfire season in 50 years, and a scorching hot summer and a devastating drought in the U.S. Northwest this year could lead to even greater damage, fire officials have said.
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