Thursday, August 20, 2015
Updates this morning indicate that the three Firefighters who died in the Line of Duty yesterday fighting that wildfire near Twisp were engaged in initial attack operations and involved in a vehicle crash on Woods Canyon Road, when it is believed the fire overtook the vehicle.
Other reports are that they were able to get out of the vehicle and deployed shelters but subsequently lost their lives.
They were part of the initial fire response to that wildfire that started shortly after noon up Woods Canyon Road, which is off Twisp River Road. That area is about 5 miles west of Twisp.
Initial reports are that the wind suddenly shifted and the U.S. Forest Service Firefighters who were killed, became trapped as the Twisp River Fire turned back on them.
The four injured firefighters suffered burns and were transported from the scene. One of the injured firefighters, a 25-year-old, was airlifted to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition. Of those four injured firefighters, one worked for the Forest Service, two worked for the state Department of Natural Resources and one was a DNR contractor. It wasn’t immediately clear if the four injured were also involved in the crash.
In Washington there are 11 counties and four tribes affected or threatened by fires. The fires have already destroyed more than 50 homes, 60 other structures, and more than 235,000 acres of land. Conditions this morning remain terrible and the fires are continuing to spread-combine that with limited resources and the potn tial remains for more devastation.
The Triple LODD Wednesday wasn’t the first time that Firefighters lost their lives fighting wildfires in Washington. On July 10, 2001, four U.S. Forest Service firefighters died while at the Thirty Mile Fire in Okanogan County. That was the second deadliest fire in Washington history. In 1974, five Firefighters died when a vehicle overturned.
KTIYP's.