Arizona forestry officials confirmed Sunday night that 19 firefighters have died in the Yarnell Hill Fire that has ripped through half of the town, sent residents to Prescott for safety and given the state its biggest ever wildfire firefighter tragedy.
“It’s a dark day,” said Mike Reichling, Arizona State Forestry Division spokesman.
Reichling said the 19 firefighters were found in an area that also had 19 fire shelters deployed. Some of those found were inside a shelter, which is typically used as a last resort to withstand the fire as it blows over. Some of the crew members were found outside the shelters.
Officials said 18 of the deceased were members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots team. It’s unknown what fire crew the 19th firefighter belonged to. The firefighters are part of a team that is typically sent in first to help cut off the fire, Reichling said.
“They were up there doing what they normally do,” he said.
At Mile High Middle School, dozens of cars filled the parking lot as family and friends of the firefighters were gathered. There, they received official confirmation of the firefighters’ deaths.
Through the night, people slowly filed out of the middle school, holding one another and looking ashen.
Juliann Ashcraft said she found out her firefighter husband, Andrew, was among the dead by watching the news with her four children.
“They died heroes,” she said, crying and wiping tears away from her eyes. “And we’ll miss them. We love them.”
Gov. Jan Brewer offered her condolences to the families of the fallen in a statement late Sunday.
"This is as dark a day as I can remember, with Arizona suffering the truly unimaginable loss of 19 wildland firefighters," the statement said. "It may be days or longer before an investigation reveals how this tragedy occurred. When a tragedy like this strikes, all we can do is offer our eternal gratitude to the fallen, and prayers for the families and friends left behind. God bless them all.”....
The fire likely is human caused as there has been no lightning in the area recently, but the exact cause still has not been determined, Perry said. No structures currently are threatened. http://www.azcentral.com/news/arizona/articles/20130630crews-fighting-small-fires-around-Arizona.html
First, if it was set on purpose or by neglect, may whoever did it be sent to jail for life.
RIP firefighters and prayers to their families, friends and members of their fire department(s)
More info on the Hotshots: http://www.cityofprescott.net/services/fire/hotshots/
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| Granite Mountain Hot Shots |
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