Crews in Arizona Make Progress in Subduing Deadly Fire PRESCOTT, Ariz. - The 19 firefighters killed Sunday in Arizona when a vicious wildfire swept over them died from burns, smoke inhalation or a combination of both, according to the Maricopa County medical examiner. Initial autopsy results released Thursday concluded that the official cause of death for the members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew, who were battling the blaze in bone-dry terrain near Yarnell, were fire-related injuries. Those injuries included thermal burns to the body, carbon monoxide poisoning or a lack of oxygen, said the county spokeswoman, Cari Gerchick. More details on precisely how the men died will be released in several months after more extensive autopsies, Ms. Gerchick said. "We still have a great deal of work to do," she said. Crews were gaining on the wildfire, which had burned more than 100 structures tucked away in parched foothills of piñon and juniper trees. By Thursday night, the fire was 80 percent contained, The Associated Press reported, and officials were hopeful that residents could be allowed back into their homes within the next several days. The conditions are really dry. We're going to be very cautious and we're going to be very deliberate in how we continue to work within the lines of the fire," said Suzanne Flory, a spokeswoman for the interagency team that is fighting the fire. We're constantly keeping an eye on the weather and the winds. At a news conference on Thursday, Stewart Turner, a fire behavior analyst for the team, said that he was still concerned about the dangerous wind gusts that had whipped the fire, but that the odds of the blaze expanding were diminishing each day. Mr. Turner, who was not on the scene on Sunday, was asked if he could have predicted the violent shift in fire direction that killed the firefighters. "I can only be as accurate as my meteorologist," he said. Sometimes it can be difficult. Sometimes it's very obvious. Mr. Turner noted that in recent days storms that were predicted to pass through the region had suddenly dissipated, underscoring the difficulties that come with fighting wildfires. Investigators continued to cobble together clues as to exactly what happened Sunday afternoon when the seemingly standard summer wildfire changed direction without warning and roared toward the crew, catching them by surprise. Results of the inquiry are not likely to be released for several months. The deaths of the men still loomed over Prescott, where the crew was based and which was overflowing with visitors who streamed into this rustic mountain city of 40,000 for its renowned Fourth of July festivities and rodeo. In the city's frontier-styled downtown, American flags hung at half-staff, lamp posts were draped in purple ribbons and storefronts paid homage to the "fallen 19" with homemade signs that stared out among the saloons and trading posts. City officials said that Prescott's huge Fourth of July celebration - which included an all-day concert and a fireworks show and was expected to draw some 20,000 tourists - would continue as planned. "We're a community in mourning, but you can also have a little celebration," said Marlin Kuykendall, the mayor. We think that because of this tragedy, it's even more important to live life as usual and celebrate as if the guys were still with us. In a grassy park in front of City Hall, burly men in cowboy hats milled about quietly, children played hide-and-seek among a thicket of flags and classic cars rumbled by. A cherry-red pickup truck cruised slowly through the street as well, a message scrawled in marker on its rear window. Hotshots. You will be missed. But never forgotten.