This is the 11502nd most frequent Spanish word.
extinguieron
"Extinguieron" means "they extinguished" or "they put out" in English.
In this sentence, 'extinguieron' is used as the third person plural of the verb 'extinguir' in the preterite tense, meaning 'they extinguished', to describe the action completed by the firefighters.
Los bomberos extinguieron el incendio rápidamente.
The firefighters extinguished the fire quickly.
Here, 'extinguieron' is utilized in its preterite tense to express a completed action of species becoming extinct, metaphorically encapsulating the disappearance or end of existence.
Los arqueólogos supieron que algunas especies se extinguieron hace millones de años.
The archaeologists knew that some species extinguished millions of years ago.
This usage also employs 'extinguieron' in the preterite tense to indicate the completed action of putting out the candles after the event.