Every year I like to do a series called “Independence Week,” where I highlight either people who are doing good things, fighting for the freedom of their fellow person, or other good news.

The first entry this week is sad news, but I think still fits the theme well. These 19 firefighters from Arizona died selflessly trying to save their fellow people. May they rest in peace.

They were part of an elite squad confronting wildfires on the front line, setting up barriers to stop the spreading destruction. But in their unpredictable world, it doesn’t take much to turn a situation deadly.

In this case, a wind shift and other factors caused a central Arizona fire, which now spans 8,400 acres, to become erratic, said Mike Reichling, Arizona State Forestry Division spokesman.

Though the deaths are under investigation, the inferno appears to have proved too much, even for the shelters the 19 firefighters carried as a last-ditch survival tool.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/01/us/arizona-firefighter-deaths/index.html?hpt=hp_t1