 News of the deaths and injuries started reaching the fire camps by 6 pm on August 21 ; by then the fire had calmed down as the dry front had passed and the wind decreased . Post led his party down through the burned area and calls went out for medical assistance . By that night , another 150 firefighters and rescue personnel had reached the fire . Rescue efforts commenced as soon as reports arrived and by the morning of August 22 , almost 500 firefighters and rescue workers were on scene . The fire consumed 1 @,@ 700 acres ( 690 ha ) but was not fully controlled until August 24 . After 7 pm on August 21 , the first fatalities were discovered by a team led by Paul Krueger of the USFS . They came upon a surviving member of Clayton 's crew , finding him badly burned . Before succumbing to his injuries , he was able to direct rescuers to where Clayton and the other crew members were last seen . Post informed the rescue team that two of his party would have to be carried out and his men were too weary to do so ; these two also died at the hospital . The following morning , the bodies of two other members of Post 's crew that had tried to run through the flames were found . The rugged terrain made it necessary for the deceased to be carried out on either stretchers or slung over pack horses . The procession of pack horses carrying the recovered bodies passed through the fire camps where other firefighters were preparing to combat the fire . 
