Granite Mountain Hotshots: Sole survivor attends event at learning and tribute center

PRESCOTT, Ariz. - Friday, June 30, 2023 marks 10 years since a tragedy in Northern Arizona, where 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots were killed on the front lines, as they worked to protect their community during the Yarnell Hill Fire.

According to a 2017 report by the Associated Press that is related to the wildfire, the 19 elite Arizona wildland firefighters were stationed in a relatively safe position on a ridgetop that already had burned. For unknown reasons, however, they moved down the mountainside through an unburned area, where they were trapped by a wall of flames when winds shifted the fire toward them.

The incident marked the largest number of firefighters lost in an incident since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

10 years is a long time, but in other ways, it almost seems like yesterday, especially to a lot of the people who live around the area, as well as those who knew the men who died, and refuse to forget.

On June 29, a commemoration event took place in the Prescott area, where a learning and tribute center dedicated to the hotshot firefighters was established five years ago.

Memorial event for Granite Mountain Hotshot crews

It has been 10 years since a wildfire in Arizona took the lives of 19 firefighters with the Granite Mountain Hotshot team, and on June 29, people gathered for a commemoration event in the Prescott area, which was also attended by the only person who survived the tragedy. FOX 10's Brian Webb reports.

During the event, Brendan McDonough, the sole survivor of the incident, addressed a crowd of about 200.

"It's a relief to know that my brothers are not going to be forgotten by this community, by those who knew him, or never got to meet them, but used to you live like them," said McDonough.

The learning and tribute center is run mostly by volunteers. Besides honoring the 19 men who lost their lives, the center also honored the lives they lived: as fathers, sons and brothers who signed up to serve others.

"Being a firefighter myself, I wanted to come, do a tribute," said visitor Neil Gibson.

"Pay tribute to Scott, [who] we know from the high school. We actually went to school with him," said another visitor, identified only as ‘Jean.’

According to the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park website, Scott Norris is the only one out of the 19 firefighters with that first name.

At the event, McDonough also signed copies of his new book, Granite Mountain. The book is a story about the tragedy and his survival, and it is filled with life lessons beyond the fire lines, like kindness, compassion and gratitude.

"I’m full of gratitude," said McDonough. "The grief is here, but I also feel love and compassion, and that’s been felt since the day this happened."

There are several more memorial events planned for June 30 in Prescott, as well as in Yarnell.