CNN Breaking News Email: 18 firefighters killed battling Arizona wildfire, according to

[applegrove]

18 firefighters killed battling Arizona wildfire, according to Wade Ward of the Prescott Fire Department.

[applegrove]

1. Here is a link to the story at business insider

http://www.businessinsider.com/19-firefighters-dead-battling-central-arizonaf-wildfire-2013-6

[BeyondGeography]

2. Nightmare

[Whisp]

3. o gawd!

[pinboy3niner]

4. Oh, damn!

R.I.P.

[premium]

5. Oh Lord,

this is terrible news, I knew a lot of USFS wildland firefighters and smoke jumpers.
May they rest in peace.

[aikoaiko]

6. Oh no.

[Brickbat]

7. That is a goddamn shame.

[applegrove]

8. Yup. Those firefighters deserve all the salaries and status they get. Braver than me that is for

sure. Vibes to all the families and the communities they are from.

[dixiegrrrrl]

24. "500 homes to be decimated by the fire"

Officials say they expect about half of the town’s 500 homes to be decimated by the fire that is currently burning with zero containment and has grown well past 2,000 acres.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/arizona/articles/20130630crews-fighting-small-fires-around-Arizona.html?sf14516820=1&nclick_check=1

No containment and the loss of an entire fire crew......this is beyond horrible...

[The Straight Story]

9. Could be 25:

911 Operator ?@911BUFF now

BREAKING NEWS OUT OF ARIZONA: LOCAL MEDIA NOW REPORT ENTIRE PRESCOTT FIREFIGHTING CREW OF 25 FIREFIGHTERS KILLED.

(that twitter account broke the 7 people shot last night in Brooklyn about 20 min before news sites - and they just updated this story)

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Up to 25...

That is a full hand crew.

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

40. I've searched, but only find reports øƒ 19 dead.

And I read reports the crew was 20, but one person not out with them. Is there a link to news saying 25?

[Lil Missy]

10. Oh my gawd, that is awful news.

[LittleBlue]

12. RIP

Awful

[polly7]

13. How awful. :( nt.

[Auntie Bush]

14. My God! That's the worst thing I've heard since 9/11

I just hope and pray they died from smoke inhalation. Bless them and their family's.

[marions ghost]

15. Terrible

I had a friend die in one of those fires a few years ago. Not a firefighter. He just got caught in it.

[cherokeeprogressive]

16. Someone keep an eye open for a way to donate to their families. RIP, Protectors.

[Skittles]

17. agreed

[Lone_Star_Dem]

18. Devastating news!

My heart goes out to all of their families! May they find peace.

[alittlelark]

19. ..........................

[life long demo]

20. Thoughts and prayers go out to families of brave firefighters

Prayers for those still battling the blaze

[KittyWampus]

21. OMG! What happened? What happened?

Rest in peace.

What a heavy toll.

[The Straight Story]

22. Another update:

From 12 News reporter:

William Pitts ?@william_pitts 4m
Sources telling me the one surviving firefighter has burns to approx 75% of body
Expand

William Pitts William Pitts ?@william_pitts 7m
Oh my god...I'm hearing the fire crews were killed a few minutes after they were sent in.

[The Straight Story]

23. Arizona Forestry spokesman says 19 firefighters die battling fast-moving wildfire.

From the AP twitter account

[dixiegrrrrl]

37. For those outside of AZ, it is 10:50PM and 109 degrees . Conditions for firefighters were extreme.

Breaking News site.

[marybourg]

39. It's only 9:27 in my Arizona. And an even 100

on my front thermometer, a few hundred ft lower than the area of the fire.

[Crabby Appleton]

25. R.I.P Firefighters

[Zorra]

26. Awww, no! That's so sad.

I saw the smoke, and helicopters carrying water earlier, but didn't know where the fire was.

Ouch.

[sweetloukillbot]

29. I noticed it getting overcast this afternoon and figured it was a monsoon brewing

Now I'm not so sure - that's not exactly close to Phoenix, but I can see the smoke drifting this way.

[marybourg]

31. Very heavy smell of smoke in far west valley. nt.

[Marrah_G]

27. omg

[cherokeeprogressive]

28. Per Cal Fire they were the Prescott Granite Mountain Hot Shots.

There's a link to their page at Cal Fire, but it's understandably unavailable at the moment.

[Brother Buzz]

35. Are the Prescott Granite Mountain Hot Shots a separate outfit from the Prescott Hotshots?

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/prescott/home/?cid=stelprdb5343404

[cherokeeprogressive]

38. I can't say. n/t

[TeeYiYi]

36. Link to a recent story about them...

...from about a week ago: http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1086&ArticleID=120497

TYY

[moondust]

30. Fighting a fire with temps over 100 degrees and 22 mph winds?

The temperature warmed to 101 degrees Sunday afternoon and southwest winds were blowing up to 22 miles per hour, Reichling said.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/30/fire-in-arizona-prompts-evacuation-of-120-homes/2477469/

Jeezus.

RIP

[Whisp]

32. ...

their families... so many...

[ChazII]

33. Watching the local news

for coverage of this tragedy. A flashover happened so quickly that the protective gear blew away for one.

[Cha]

34. so sorry that

had to happen..

[Hekate]

41. Oh, Sweet Mother.