On July 6, 1994, 14 wildland firefighters lost their lives when a wind shift resulted in a "blow-up" fire condition that trapped them on the uphill and downwind position from a fire on Storm King Mountain, just outside Glenwood Springs.
The fourteen firefighters included smokejumpers Don Mackey, Roger Roth, and James Thrash; Prineville Hot Shots John Kelso, Kathi Beck, Scott Blecha, Levi Brinkley, Bonnie Holtby, Rob Johnson, Tami Bickett, Doug Dunbar, and Terri Hagen; and helitack crew members Richard Tyler and Robert Browning.
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Yes, I remember that, it is one of the worst I can remember, very sad.
I witnessed a juvenile crew get overrun by fire from about half a mile away in ‘67 or ‘68. I believe 5 or 6 crew members died and the crew foreman as well.
That ended the use of juvy cews on hot lines, from then on we only used adult inmate crews.
George76
I’ve got good friends in Redstone. Is everything okay that direction? Beautiful area there...prayers for all those near that Crystal river.