the weather. and what we re told by the prescott fire department here, is that it was totally unexpected. what happened out there, nobody could predict. that s what he tells us. and that this fire turned around, they were caught up in it so fast, and it was so hot and so deadly, there was no way these guys could escape. they also had gps s on them, right? so that everybody knew where they were? that s right. why didn t they have the planes come in and drop the water and drop the fire retardants to try to save them? all those questions are being asked, and the answers that we re receiving here is that this fire was so intense that they couldn t just run in and get everybody out. there was really no way to get to them. they were in such a precarious position. in terms of helicopters coming in and dropping water on them, sounds like it could be a great idea, what we re told is that it s not always the safest thing to do. if the fire wasn t hurting these guys, it s possible that
the weather. and what we re told by the prescott fire department here, is that it was totally unexpected. what happened out there, nobody could predict. that s what he tells us. and that this fire turned around, they were caught up in it so fast, and it was so hot and so deadly, there was no way these guys could escape. they also had gps s on them, right? so that everybody knew where they were? that s right. why didn t they have the planes come in and drop the water and drop the fire retardants to try to save them? all those questions are being asked, and the answers that we re receiving here is that this fire was so intense that they couldn t just run in and get everybody out. there was really no way to get to them. they were in such a precarious position. in terms of helicopters coming in and dropping water on them, sounds like it could be a great idea, what we re told is that it s not always the safest thing to do. if the fire wasn t hurting these guys, it s possible that
firefighters sunday. 19 firefighters, each a member of the prescott fire department s granite mountain hot shots. these are the elitist of the elite firefighters here. this is how it looks outside their home pace, a prescott fire department, a makeshift member call growing by the hour. two days later this community s loss is still sinking in. there aren t any real words to express the kind of sadness that we feel today. it s beyond comprehension. when i received the news that 19 of our brave firefighters have been taken from us, i was beside myself. hundreds of people jammed inside this prescott university gym, this was last night, to pay their final respects. firefighters there gathering at
now. it s not known at this point. the firefighters are also are also declining to release the identities of the firefighters who did die. but volunteers are there on the scene right now. the american red cross is up there. and also, other folks helping out to try to help out with these fires, and not just helping the firefighters there, but helping the residents as well. we ve been telling you about the temperatures that have been happening, the high temperatures and the dryness out in the southwest. that s not making conditions any better for firefighters trying to battle these wildfires that happen this time of year. and this is a still image of the fire that we re fighting, this yarnell hill fire that the prescott fire department was fighting there. and, again, 1300 acres in size that they had that had grown estimated size, and people had to be evacuated for those who are living in the area there.
we just lost 19 of some of the finest people you ll ever meet. right now we re in crisis. reporter: the firefighters were part of the prescott fire department hot shot crew, getting their name because they worked in the hottest parts of the wildfire, setting up barriers to stop the destructive spread. these are the guys that will go out there with 40, 50 pounds of equipment and walk five miles, they will slaep out there. these are quality people. reporter: the crew was tasked with digging a fire line and creating an escape route. the flames hadn t even touched prescott. but like many other firefighters across the state, the prescott team jumped into help fight the blaze. the fire which began friday has burned at least 6,000 acres and at least 100 structures destroyed. forced to evacuate, some residents had only minutes to grab their belongings. others witnessed their homes burn as they fled the scene. i went up to get the wife because the fire was getting close. and i woke he