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YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) -- The U.S. Forest Service has removed nine firefighters and commanders from active fire duty 10 months after they failed to heed safety guidelines during a deadly wildfire in the Cascade Mountains.

The employees were reassigned last week after an administrative review, agency spokesman Rex Holloway told the Yakima Herald-Republic. They could face further punishment, including termination.

Four firefighters died July 10 after inhaling superheated air when the wildfire raced across an area where they had deployed their emergency heat-resistant shelters. Another suffered serious burns.

The Forest Service concluded last year that fire bosses failed to follow basic safety rules and ignored numerous signs of danger.

The mother of 19-year-old Jessica Johnson, one of the victims, said the discipline should have come earlier.

``It's like punishing your children,'' Jody Gray said. ``You don't wait 10 months to punish your children; the psychological impact is gone.''

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