An Arizona wildfire that killed 19 firefighters is 80% contained and officials are scaling back the number of crews tackling it.
Residents of Yarnell, where the blaze began, are expected to be allowed to return to their homes over the weekend.
The fire has destroyed more than 100 homes and razed 13 sq miles (33 sq km), say the authorities.
It has been the deadliest blaze for US firefighters since at least 25 men died in 1933 battling a fire in Los Angeles.
On Friday, 550 firefighters were tackling the Yarnell Hill conflagration, down from 680 the day before.
Post-mortem results
The crews were building more fire lines amid calm weather, with an eye on forecasts that winds may increase over the weekend.
Utility firms are trying to restore services in Yarnell, checking for leaks in gas tanks.
The evacuation order for nearby Peeples Valley was lifted on Thursday evening.
US Vice-President Joe Biden is expected to be among thousands
of mourners attending a memorial for the 19 men on Tuesday in the
nearby town of Prescott, where they were based.
Residents honoured the elite Granite Mountain Hotshots with a
fireworks show during the town's American Independence Day celebrations
on Thursday.
An initial post-mortem examination report released the same day found the men had died from accidental "fire-related injuries".
These included burns, carbon monoxide poisoning, oxygen deprivation, or a combination of the factors.
Their bodies, which are in Phoenix for the post-mortem examinations, are to be taken to Prescott on Sunday.
Fire investigators are expected within days to release a preliminary report on how the men became trapped by the flames.
How wildfires spread
For more information about this news, click here
ليست هناك تعليقات :
إرسال تعليق