Three Firefighters Killed in Washington as Wildfires Spread Across West

Three firefighters were killed and four others were injured Wednesday afternoon in central Washington fighting one of the more than 100 wildfires burning more than 1.1 million acres in the West, authorities told NBC News. The firefighters were killed when winds shifted unexpectedly near the towns of Twisp and Winthrop and turned back on crews fighting a small new fire, Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers said. The firefighters were involved in a vehicle accident when the fire overtook them. All residents of both towns — almost 1,000 people — were ordered to evacuate immediately...more