Blackwater Fire in Shoshone National Forest , approximately west of Cody , Wyoming , United States . Fifteen firefighters were killed by the forest fire when a dry weather front caused the winds to suddenly increase and change direction . The fire quickly spread into dense forest , creating spot fires that trapped some of the firefighters in a firestorm . Nine firefighters died during the fire and six more died shortly thereafter from severe burns and respiratory complications and another 38 firefighters were injured . It killed more professional wildland firefighters in the U.S. than any other in the 103 years between the Great Fire of 1910 and the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013
Great Fire of 1910
Great Fire of 1910
Blackwater Fire of 1937