Two Montana experts in fire shelters and protective gear are assisting in the investigation of the Arizona wildfire that killed 19 men.
Alex Gavrisheff of the U.S. Forest Service’s Missoula Technology and Development Center says they will attempt to answer whether the firefighters’ equipment failed and will study their shelters.
The Missoulian reports they will analyze the Nomex shirts and fire pants worn by the 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots who died in the Yarnell Hill fire Sunday. They also plan to analyze how the crew’s fire shelters were deployed.
Gavrisheff says there is a lot of speculation about the equipment’s performance that the experts’ report plans to answer.