Glenwood Springs, CO, July 7, 1994 -- A wildfire, that has been burning since the weekend, flared-up unexpectedly last night and overran a group of firefighters on Storm King Mountain. Rescuers report that at least tweleve (12) firefighters have been found dead and that two others are missing and feared dead. Identification of the dead has been difficult due to the deteriorated condition of some of the burned bodies. Another four firefighters are being treated at Valley View Hospital for smoke inhalation and burns.
Blaming high winds that accelerated the smoldering blaze, federal fire officials are refusing to comment on the tragedy, until an investigation has been conducted. One unnamed official said that the firefighters had individual fire-resistant shelters that could be used in a circumstance such as occurred on Wednesday, but that he didn't know if they were used.
Another estimated that the fire was moving at 100 fpm (feet per minute) at the time of the catastrophe that caused the demise of the firefighters, and that the speed with which it was moving may have prevented their escape. One local rescuer said that two separate fires had converged on the deceased firefighters and that they had nowhere to go to escape the advancing flames.
The conflagration that killed the firefighters reportedly began on Sunday (July 3) as the result of a lightening strike. It had been contained to approximately fifty (50) acres until Wednesday, when high winds began to feed and push the fire to a size of more than 2,000 acres. According to eyewitnesses, the fire had come within 1,500 feet of a subdivision, threatening many homes. Homeowners were said to be standing on roofs, using garden hoses to wet-down their endangered homes. Additionally, local firefighters reported that a section of the fire also jeopardized a local shopping mall, which was evacuated.
Fire officials say that it appears that the Glenwood Springs fire has caused the greatest loss of firefighter's lives since a 1937 fire in Yellowstone National park took the lives of 17 firefighters.
(Ed. Note: A total of fourteen firefighters were killed in the Glenwood Springs blaze. A subsequent investigation found problems with safety measures and operating directives at the scene.)
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