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Planes called before Hotshots fire deaths
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PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona wildfire was so out of control because of winds from a nearby thunderstorm that officials asked for half the available Western U.S. air tanker fleet nearly an hour before 19 members of a Hotshot crew were killed, records obtained by The Associated Press Friday show. The records from the federal Bureau of Land Management show Arizona officials asked for six heavy air tankers at 4:08 p.m. on June 30, about 50 minutes after high winds from a nearby thunderstorm began driving the wildfire toward the small town of Yarnell. National Weather Service officials issued a wind warning to fire managers at 3:26 p.m. that day.