An elite squad of 19 Arizona firemen killed in the worst US wildland firefighting tragedy in 80 years apparently was outflanked by wind-whipped flames in seconds, before some could scramble into cocoon-like personal shelters. Details of Sunday's (NZT Monday) deaths of all but one member of a specially trained, 20-man ''Hotshots'' team remained vague a day after they perished in a blaze that destroyed scores of homes and forced the evacuation of two towns in central Arizona. But fragments of the firefighters' final moments painted some of the picture as investigators launched a probe into exactly how the disaster unfolded. Fire officials said the young men fell victim to...
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