911 recordings from fatal wildfire include worried homeowners, confusion about injured workers

Published May 03, 2016

Homeowners frantically asked for help as a swiftly moving wildfire headed toward their houses, 911 audio calls show, and dispatchers tried to clear up confusion over injured firefighters from a blaze in Washington state that ultimately killed three firefighters.

The Aug. 19 fire near Twisp, Washington, that killed three men also injured four firefighters — one critically.

The dispatch recordings were released to The Associated Press on Friday by the Okanogan County Sheriff's Office in response to a record request.

One of the first to report the flames was woman who told dispatchers to "send somebody fast please" because the fire was heading up the hill to her house. The first emergency workers on the scene realized they might not be able to stop the fire before it burned residences, the calls show, and they warned that some escape routes were cut off.

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