19 Granite Mountain hotshots remembered a decade after the tragedy
YAVAPAI COUNTY, Ariz. - June 30 marks 10 years since a tragedy in Arizona took the lives of 19 Granite Mountain hotshots while they were fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire in northern Arizona.
Nineteen lives were taken while fighting a massive wildfire with only one survivor.
While fighting the lightning-caused Yarnell Hill Fire, the crew died as they were overrun by flames in a box canyon. The fire was too intense and was moving too quickly for their shelters to protect them.
Red Cross volunteer Trudy Thompson Shumaker will never forget it.
"I think about it a lot. I think about the families, I think about the firefighters, I think of everyone touched by that tragedy," she said. "I got the call we found the firefighters and it's not good, so it was … it was heartbreaking. Heartbreaking," she said.
Remembering the victims
Remembering the fallen Granite Mountain Hotshot firefighters
It is a day many Arizonans will never forget, as the Yarnell Hill Fire, in 2013, took the lives of 19 firefighters with the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew. As the state comes together to remember the lives lost, we take a look at the firefighters who are still being remembered, 10 years after that fateful day.
- Andrew Ashcraft, 29
- Robert Caldwell, 23
- Travis Carter, 31
- Dustin Deford, 24
- Christopher MacKenzie, 30
- Eric Marsh, 43
- Grant McKee, 21
- Sean Misner, 26
- Scott Norris, 28
- Wade Parker, 22
- John Percin Jr., 24
- Anthony Rose, 23
- Jesse Steed, 36
- Joe Thurston, 33
- Travis Turbyfill, 27
- William Warneke, 26
- Clayton Whitted, 28
- Kevin Woyjeck, 21
- Garret Zuppiger, 27
8 years later, Arizona remembers 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who died in Yarnell Hill Fire
All but one of the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew members died on June 30, 2013, while fighting the lightning-caused Yarnell Hill Fire.
Mural unveiled for Granite Mountain 19
A tribute on June 28 to nineteen men who, if not for a tragic twist of mother nature, would be alive today. The Granite Mountain Nineteen died when a monsoon pushed a firestorm into an area near the Yarnell Hill Fire. FOX 10's Linda Williams was in Prescott for the unveiling of a special mural.
Communities gather to remember those lost
Fallen Granite Mountain Hotshot crews remembered 10 years after Yarnell Hill Fire
It has been 10 years since a wildfire in Arizona took the lives of 19 firefighters with the Granite Mountain Hotshots as they were battling the Yarnell Hill Fire. On June 30, commemoration events took place in Prescott, as well as the town of Yarnell. FOX 10's Stephanie Bennett and Brian Webb report, in team coverage.
On June 30, two memorial events for the lost firefighters were held: one in Prescott, and one in Yarnell.
Prescott
In Prescott, public memorial took place outside of the Yavapai County Courthouse.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, Prescott Mayort Phil Goode, and the son of fallen hotshot Andrew Ashcraft were among the people who spoke at the event.
The only hotshot crew member who survived was also in attendance to read a prayer. An Honor Guard took center stage, and there was a flyover out of Luke Air Force Base, with the planes flying the ‘missing man’ formation.
"It takes someone with great strength, passion, dedication and perseverance to sign up for this dangerous job. We're here to honor them because they selflessly answered the call for us," said one of the speakers.
"He told me ‘son, you’re the man of the house when I’m gone. Take care of our family, protect mom, and I love you,’ To him, those words gave him security while away, when he went to provide for us. One last moment of connection while he was still home," said another speaker at the event.
Yarnell
In Yarnell, a special ceremony took place at the Yarnell Hill Fire Memorial Park.
The event was a more intimate affair, with dozens of people in attendance, including both area residents and visitors.
The event included music, a few speeches, along with a moment of silence at 4:41 p.m., the exact moment when last contact was made with the crew.
The event also included a ceremonial transfer of the memorial from the volunteers who run it, to Arizona's Parks and Trails Department. The official transfer happened earlier in June.
"I think it was really such a sad moment for everyone when that happened," said visitor Stephen King. "What can you say, really? You wish it didn't happen, you wish it could have happened a different way, but life is what life is. At least we're remembering the people."
Another ceremony is set to take place from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in Yarnell, where members of the community will turn on their porch lights to honor the fallen hotshot firefighters, along with firefighters everywhere.
How to honor the lives of the firefighters
Yarnell Hill Fire: Park honors fallen hotshots
It has been 10 years since a wildfire in Arizona took the lives of 19 firefighters with the Granite Mountain Hotshots as they were battling the Yarnell Hill Fire. Since that tragic day, a park has built as a way to remember the fallen firefighters. FOX 10's Anita Roman has a look.
If you want to visit the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park in Yarnell, Arizona Parks says it's a seven-mile round trip, including steep terrain. If you do head to the site in Yarnell, shuttle service goes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from the Yarnell Fire Department.
Dark Sky Brewing is donating all proceeds from the purchases of Yarnell 19 West Coast IPA cans to the Eric Marsh Foundation as well as other Wildland Fire organizations. It will also co-host a fundraiser at Scottsdale’s Rift Wine + Tap (more information can be found here).