HEATHER CASPI and DIONNE WALKER
Firehouse.Com News

Four Washington firefighters were killed Tuesday during the deadliest wildfires for firefighters since 1994, the last time a wildfire was responsible for the deaths of more than two firefighters at one time. It was also the worst lost of life for firefighters at a single incident in the United States overall since six firefighters were killed battling a warehouse fire in Worcester, Mass. On Dec. 3, 1999.

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The four Washington firefighters died when a small wildland fire suddenly burst out of control and overtook a group of 40 firefighters.

Tuesday's situation mirrored a July 1994 Colorado incident where a wind shift trapped 14 firefighters downwind from a fire on Storm King Mountain. Two of those firefighters were killed when their escape route was cut off by a large drop and they were overrun by the fire, according to the United States Fire Administration.

The other firefighters were killed as they moved away from the advancing fire. The firefighters were unable to see how dangerous their position had become because a small ridge below them hid the fire. They were moving slowly and were still carrying their equipment when the fire blew up behind them to a height of over 100 feet. The crew then dropped their tools and ran toward the top of the mountain, but only one person made it. The fire reached a height of 200 to 300 feet as it crossed over the ridge and overran the remaining 12 firefighters.

It was estimated that it took the fire 10 to 15 seconds to climb 270 feet of the 6,500-foot ridge. Of the 14 firefighters killed, nine were from an Oregon Hot Shot crew, three were smoke jumpers, and two were from a helicopter team.

Six firefighters were killed at the 'Dude' Wildfire in Arizona in 1990

In 2000 there were 13 firefighter deaths at wildfires. Six died in aircraft crashes, four suffered burns, two were hit by lightning and one was struck by debris from an exploding tank.

In 1999 there were 28 deaths associated with brush, grass, or wildland firefighting, a sharp increase from preceding years, according to the USFA. These included 11 heart attacks. Of the others, two were overrun by fire, four were killed in tanker rollovers, three were electrocuted, three were struck or runover by apparatus, one drowned, one suffered heat stroke, one fell 150 feet, one was struck by a falling boulder, and another suffered a cerebrovascular accident. In 1998 there were 13 wildland firefighter deaths, in 1997 there werenine, in 1996 there were five, and in 1995 there were 18.

According to the USFA, between the years of 1990 and 1998, burnovers were responsible for 29 percent of the 133 deaths. The second leading cause of deaths at wildfires during these years was aircraft accidents, responsible for 23 percent of the deaths, followed by heart attacks at 21 percent, vehicle accidents at 18 percent, and falling snags (dead standing trees) at five percent.

The 1991 wildland fires in Oakland, California, caused 26 civilian deaths and 148 injuries. The fires destroyed over 3,000 structures, left over 5,000 people homeless and resulted in $1.5 billion in damages.

In 1990, hot, dry weather conditions in California contributed to brush fires in Santa Barbara County that destroyed more than 600 buildings, caused over $200 million of damage and killed one person.