Such a sad loss

Most of you have probably heard about the tragic accident this past week on the Shasta Trinity N.F. involving the Grayback Forestry crew. Here is the latest:
As of 1200 PST today, President Mike Wheelock of the Greyback Forestry said....
Here is what I can tell you. This was a tragic accident that resulted in three injured and seven missing firefighters. Two of the injured are at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento and one is at Mercy Medical Center in Redding. The families are with all the injured.We have almost completed the process of notifying the families of the missing firefighters. I ask and plead with you to let us get through the healing process, including the notification of our families and the care of the injured and our employees. We mobilized chaplains and incident management teams to help the families. We are also working closely with the US Forest Service and other related agencies to meet the needs of the families and affected employees.Ten firefighters from our company were part of a 20-person organized crew that was working in steep/remote terrain on the Shasta Trinity National Forest on the Iron/Alps complex.For four days, prior to the accident, the crew had been successfully and heroically defending a section of critical line that had to be held to avoid serious, long-term problems. The weather had changed and the firefighters were being evacuated off the mountainside. The first 10-person crew was successfully transported to base camp and the helicopter returned for the remaining part of the crew. And then the accident occurred. Many of our crews are standing down and have returned home. They are experiencing great grief about the missing and those who are injured.I’d like to say the entire fire community is one big family and all are affected when one is affected. The agencies, contractors and all the support people risk their lives every day fighting these fires. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers during this summer because it is still early in the fire season.I have just visited with Rick Schroeder who is a patient here at Mercy. He is doing well. He is alert and surrounded by his family and loved ones. He wants to thank everyone who has been caring for him. He’d like some time to heal both mentally and physically and then will consider sharing his story with others. While many of us are in our safe houses, these firefighters are risking their lives for us every day.Once again, on behalf of Greyback Forestry and its family of firefighters, thank you for all of the concern and support you have extended to us. Please keep all of the firefighters and their families in your thoughts and prayers.
The names they have released are:
Shawn Blazer, 30 from Medford, Ore.
Scott Charleson, 25 from Phoenix, Ore.
Matthew Hammer, 23 from Grants Pass, Ore.
Edrik Gomez, 19, from Ashland, Ore.
Bryan Rich, 29, from Medford, Ore.
David Steele, 19, from Ashland, Ore.

Please keep these families and the remaining FF in your prayers.

** This one hit pretty close to home for me. My husband had just returned from that fire on Saturday. Thursday afternoon, his crew had been brought in to camp from that exact helicopter. Only 4 days prior to this horrific accident. **