45 percent containment on deadly Arizona fire
Source: AP-Excite
By TAMI ABDOLLAH and FELICIA FONSECA
YARNELL, Ariz. (AP) - Hundreds of firefighters battling a blaze outside the mountain town of Yarnell came off the line Wednesday to salute a procession of fire vehicles that had been left by 19 elite Hotshot crew members killed in the line of duty.
The firefighters gathered along a highway to honor the Prescott-based unit on the same day that they reported significant progress in controlling the deadly blaze. The fire is now 45 percent contained, up from 8 percent earlier in the day, and authorities say the figure could change in the next day as they compile a more complete picture with sophisticated mapping techniques.
The vehicles were driven by fellow Prescott firefighters. One of the trucks held backpacks, water jugs and coolers. Another was emblazoned with the group's motto, in Latin: "To be, rather than to seem." As the vehicles drove through downtown Prescott, they were greeted by a large crowd that lined the street and waved flags and cheered the motorcade.
Fire crews across the U.S. also paused throughout the day to remember the Granite Mountain Hotshots and recognize the dangers firefighters face, said Jim Whittington, spokesman for the multiagency Southwest Incident Command Team. Gov. Jan Brewer said she would fly Arizona flags at half-staff for 19 days for each firefighter lost.
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Officials salute and offer a moment of silence as a procession of the vehicles left by the 19 elite Hotshot crew members killed over the weekend are removed from the fire area near Yarnell, Ariz., Wednesday, July 3, 2013. Violent wind gusts on Sunday turned a small, lightning-ignited forest fire in the town into an out-of-control wildfire that left no escape for the team of Hotshots. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
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