Washington Forest Fire Kills Four Firefighters

Victims Caught As 10-Acre Fire 'Explodes' Into 2,500 Acres

TWISP, Wash., 10:19 a.m. EDT July 11, 2001 -- A small wildfire in the rugged forest of the North Cascades exploded to 2,500 acres in a matter of hours, killing four firefighters and leaving another in serious condition.

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U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Debbie Kelly confirmed the four deaths Tuesday night. She said that the four firefighters had been missing since an explosive burst of flames overran a group of 40 firefighters Tuesday evening.

The identities and hometowns of the dead firefighters were not immediately released.

Stoked by high temperatures and strong wind gusts, the blaze grew from less than 10 acres early Tuesday to 2,500 acres by late afternoon, Kelly said.

Extremely dry weather, low humidity and dry underbrush made conditions in steep, heavily forested terrain of north-central Washington especially dangerous, Kelly said. She said the crews thought they had the situation well in hand until the wind picked up and the fire began spreading fast.

Some of the firefighters took shelter in foil-like emergency tents designed to protect them from heat and flames, she said.

One firefighter, identified as a 21-year-old from Yakima, was flown to a Seattle hospital with severe burns and was in serious condition Tuesday night. Four others were taken to other hospitals with burns or smoke inhalation.

One of the injured, Tom Taylor of Leavenworth, Wash., suffered first- and second-degree burns, said his mother, Gayle Ray.

"I'm not sure where he was, but at one point he was able to run down a hill and jump in a river," she said, adding that Taylor called her from the ambulance.

A search party sent out when at least two firefighters couldn't be reached by radio after the flare-up found the dead firefighters. A national investigative team was flying to the scene.

Tuesday's deaths occurred seven years almost to the day when 14 firefighters died fighting a forest fire near Glenwood Springs, Colo. Their deaths, on July 6, 1994, led to changes in the way forest fires are handled, in an effort to prevent any future deaths.

The wildfire near Twisp was one of at least three burning on the eastern side of the Cascade Range. Another wildfire burning about 10 miles to the south, near Carlton, grew to 1,200 acres Tuesday night, officials said. A third fire had burned at least 70 acres near Grand Coulee Dam.

Copyright 2001 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.