Oh shit. Official: 19 firefighters killed in Arizona

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8. I agree about firefighters being the biggest heroes...

I've got nothing but the utmost admiration for those who go out and battle bushfires. That so many have died like this is truly heartbreaking. Something must have gone really badly wrong with that fire as firefighters like those ones are well trained and know how fires travel...

I'm not familiar with the lie of the land in Arizona, but bushfires started by lightning strikes travel fast and go where they want to go. Living in an area that's at very high risk of bushfires during bushfire season (that's the entire SE chunk of my country), I don't know if it's practical to stop people building in areas that are at risk. What they do here is educate homeowners about how best to protect their homes before a fire hits as most homes lost in the fire I experienced were lost when embers from the front got in under the eaves of homes. And when the fire danger hits the highest level possible, they tell people to leave their homes early and not to stay and try to protect them. Not sure if that happens there, but if it doesn't, it should...