[35] That memorial was attended by thousands, including representatives from over 100 hotshot crews across the country, and was streamed live by several media outlets. In June 2013, the unincorporated community of Yarnell in Yavapai County, Arizona experienced a dangerous wildfire caused by a lightning strike. An evacuation shelter was set up at Yavapai College in Prescott, with members of the Red Cross providing cots and blankets for overnight stays, along with meals and medical assistance. While Deputy State Forester Payne stated that Marsh erred in taking his crew out of "the black" and through unburned chaparral, Olson is not so quick to blame Marsh. Willis said he believes the Granite Mountain crew left its safe position in the charred area to protect the ranch that was on the outskirts of Yarnell, the same ranch that wound up spared because of the clearings the residents dug around it. Despite the refusal by the SWCC, records show, the state contacted Granite Mountain superintendent Eric Marsh directly via e-mail on the evening of June 29 and requested that the crew proceed to Yarnell the next morning. Arizona dispatch logs show that fire managers determined the fire was "inactive" and "not much of a threat." "If I order up a Type 1 [hotshot crew], my expectation is that they are going to meet these standards," says Dick Mangan, a former wildland firefighter and investigator on major fire disasters, including the South Canyon Fire in Colorado, where nine hotshots and five other firefighters were killed in 1994, and on the Dude Fire near Payson, where six inmate firefighters were killed in 1990. She wanted them to rest. It is fire season in Arizona right now and litigation at this time may be its own blaze. [12] Four days later, on July 8, Yarnell residents were permitted to return. During his absence, Granite Mountain captain Jesse Steed became acting superintendent. "That is a direct causal factor in their deaths because there wasn't another level of supervision outside of thinking like a structural firefighter," Olson says. All rights reserved. "[47] Brody further highlights "battles that the Hotshots’ widows have faced over health insurance, taxes, labor law, and budgets, involving the online harassment of women". They leave behind wives, fiancées, children, and babies yet to be born. [7] A long-term drought affecting the area contributed to the fire's rapid spread and erratic behavior, as did temperatures of 101 °F (38 °C). On the afternoon of June 30, 2013, nineteen firefighters perished in a major fire blowup on the Yarnell Hill Fire (YH). The investigation did find some problems with radio communications due to heavy radio traffic and the fact that some radios were not programmed with appropriate tone guards. Shortly after 5 p.m., the fire jumped a two-track jeep road acting as a firebreak on the eastern flank. Careers, ", Three minutes later, the logs show that "ABQ" (short for Albuquerque, where the SWCC is located) responded with a terse message to Arizona dispatch: "Can't accept assignment. "I have thought about that a lot," he said. Prescott got reimbursed at a rate of $39 an hour per man when the hotshots were deployed on state or federal lands, according to an agreement with the state Forestry Division. [40], Following a three-month investigation, the state's Forestry Division released a report[5] and briefing video[41] on September 28, 2013, which found no evidence of negligence nor recklessness in the deaths of the 19 firefighters and revealed that an airtanker carrying flame retardant was directly overhead as the firefighters died. "That has never happened in the history of wildland firefighting. He served with Granite Mountain crew on an 18-day deployment in 2011. Yarnell Hill Fire: The Granite Mountain Hotshots Never Should've Been Deployed, Mounting Evidence Shows, A Granite Mountain Hotshot's Father Says the Blaze That Incinerated His Son Could've Been Controlled, Key Evidence in Arizona's Yarnell Hill Fire Tragedy Never Provided to Official Investigators, Closer Look: How 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots Died in the Yarnell Hill Fire (Slideshow). CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS: California Privacy Policy | California Collection Notice | Do Not Sell My Info. Willis' July 23 press conference at the deployment site was followed a week later by statements from Deputy State Forester Payne, who said in a widely publicized interview that mistakes were made by Marsh that put the crew at risk. Willis, Marsh's direct supervisor, states in an e-mail that he had no contact with Marsh or Granite Mountain captain Jesse Steed on June 30. [27], On June 30, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer issued a statement offering her condolences. SWCC officials refused to respond to questions about whether Granite Mountain had reached its requirement for mandatory days off by June 30. Shortly after 6 p.m., incident commander Russ Shumate contacted Charlie Havel, a dispatcher for the Arizona dispatch center, which provides logistical support to firefighting managers. [13], The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said that 127 buildings in Yarnell and two in Peeples Valley had been destroyed. in reverence to the loss. [pdf]. 138 likes. Prescott had two hotshot crews: the city's Granite Mountain unit and the Prescott Hotshots, operated by the Prescott National Forest. The Yarnell Hill Fire near Yarnell, Arizona, ignited by lightning on June 28, 2013. So it is not surprising that Willis' structures-first philosophy would be fully embraced by the crew. It now was estimated to be between two and four acres. [16] Officials from the Red Cross said that 351 people spent at least one night at one of the shelters. The SWCC also dispatches eight New Mexico-based hotshot crews. MacKenzie's Prescott personnel file, however, states that he was a "temporary and seasonal" employee. [9] The fire was still completely uncontrolled, with more than 400 firefighters on the line. [29] President Barack Obama issued a statement on July 1, promising federal help and praising the 19 firefighters as heroes. [9] At least 600 people were under mandatory evacuation orders. Dispatch logs show that the Granite Mountain crew should not have been deployed to fight the Yarnell Hill Fire. Shumate said he wanted two hotshot crews sent to Yarnell by 6 a.m. the next day. I believe that was what their intent was.". Payne said it appears that Marsh violated several basic wildfire rules, including not knowing the location of the fire, not having a spotter observing the fire, and leading his crew through thick unburned vegetation near a wildfire. Every hotshot knows, experts say, that major mistakes have been made if emergency fire shelters are deployed. Willis took over as Wildland Division chief in 2010, at $90,000 a year. [36] Individual memorial services were scheduled for later in the hometowns of the 19 firefighters. They are going to protect that ranch.". [51][52] Kyle Dickman, a former firefighter and former editor of Outside magazine, published the nonfiction book, On the Burning Edge: A Fateful Fire and the Men Who Fought It (2015). Part of the reason was Prescott's shoestring budget for the unit. On June 30, it overran and killed 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. The lack of substantial air support and the inability of the inmate crews to cut effective fire lines failed to contain the blaze. Community Organization. "Sometimes the fire gets away from you and becomes a big monster, putting firefighters at risk.". Remembering the deadly Yarnell Hill fire five years later Arizona Gov. But many other current and former wildlands firefighters spoken to for this article aren't so sure. [23] He had been serving as a lookout when the fire threatened to overtake his position. The division supervisor is in charge of all operations in a designated geographic area and often acts as the lookout so he can make decisions based on the most current information about weather and fire conditions, former hotshots say. The Yarnell Hill Fire. [7][15], A total evacuation of Yarnell and partial evacuation of Peeples Valley was ordered. The dispatch logs show that the SWCC did not respond to this message. "[3][4], The tragedy is primarily attributed to an extreme and sudden shift in weather patterns, causing the fire to intensify and cut off the firefighters route as they were escaping. Hardly the "elite" crew the mainstream media has described time and again, the Granite Mountain Hotshots and their leadership — except for Marsh and Steed — were relatively green. "The kid who was the lookout [Brendan McDonough, 21, the sole survivor among the Granite Mountain Hotshots] should have been on the line.". On July 2, more than 3,000 people attended a public memorial service at an indoor stadium in Prescott Valley. [30], FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and United States Fire Administrator Ernest Mitchell issued similar statements on July 1. The checklist isn't the only problematic documentation issue. "It's now time to let the system work, realize we have done our best, and make the best of the situation.". The 14 seasonal hotshots were paid between $12 and $15 an hour, with no benefits. [28] She ordered flags flown at half-staff in Arizona through July 19. The Commission said that state fire officials knowingly put protection of property ahead of safety and should have pulled crews out earlier. Jennifer Jones, a public affairs officer at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, states in an e-mail that hotshot crews are allowed to include seasonal employees among the minimum number of seven permanent/career workers. Circulation, As the problem-riddled Granite Mountain crew marched up Yarnell Hill on the morning of June 30, on what appears to have been a federally required day off, it was led by Marsh, a superintendent who had worked on the Doce Fire from June 18 to 25, the West Spruce Fire on June 28, and the Mt. A nine-member investigative team of forest managers and safety experts arrived in Arizona on July 2. "It is ingrained in firefighters' minds. "Just before the final hike in to start battling the fire, one of the firefighters was texting his mother," Bates said. [6] On June 30, winds blowing at over 22 mph (35 km/h) pushed the fire from 300 acres (120 ha) to over 2,000 acres (810 ha). "The division supervisor should have been the lookout," says former Little Tujunga Hotshot Larry Sall. Mangan, the retired wildfire serious-accident investigator, says he knows several members of the investigation team and believes they will provide an accurate assessment of what happened: "I have confidence that they are going to do a good job and let the chips fall where they may.". As Prescott struggles to recover from a disaster that has shaken the city to its core — as a makeshift memorial surrounding the Granite Mountain Hotshots headquarters in a refurbished garage attests — any criticism of the actions of the firefighters is more than most residents can bear. Granite Mountain Hotshots officials also are required to prepare an extensive annual "preparedness review" designed to ensure that crew members' training, qualifications, facilities, vehicles, and inventory meet minimum standards. When the state relinquished control of the situation by making Marsh division supervisor, he had authority to move his crew wherever he believed was necessary, without seeking permission from superiors. Willis' assessment has outraged retired hotshots. Though it is not unusual for hotshot superintendents to be assigned as division supervisors, former hotshot crew bosses say, it is unusual for them to then remain with crews. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox, Phoenix Restaurant Directory: Takeout/Delivery/Dine-in, Revelers at Massive Party in Tonto National Forest Covered the Desert in Poop. At approximately 4:42 p.m., the fire overtook the Granite Mountain Hotshots position. Just one of the hotshots on the crew survived—he was posted as a lookout on the fire and was not with the others when the fire overtook them. [11] By the end of the day on July 3, the fire was reportedly 45 percent contained and showing no signs of expanding, thus allowing Peeples Valley residents to return to their homes on July 4. Because the fire occurred on state land and the victims were part of a city fire department, there has been much greater access to facts than normally occurs when only federal agencies are involved. "They should have never been in that situation to begin with.". But excerpts from the Arizona Interagency Dispatch Center log suggest its members had. [17] Initial reports indicated that one of the firefighters was not a member of the hotshot crew, but Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo later confirmed that all 19 were in league with the Granite Mountain Hotshots. Among wildland firefighters, the oily plant is well known for its explosive characteristics. All records produced during the investigation are to be turned over to the state Forestry Division. [19][20] However, not all of the bodies were found inside the fire shelters. The hotshots have been widely hailed as heroes and even were declared the "Saints of Prescott" at a July 9 memorial service attended by many dignitaries, including Vice President Joe Biden. "Shelter deployment is a big marker, a big red flag," says Sall, the Little Tujunga Hotshot who served five years as a crew member. But the explanation may include myriad factors. After moving the vehicles, Frisby and other members of the Blue Ridge Hotshots attempted to rescue the entrapped Granite Mountain Hotshots, but were forced back by the intense flames and heat of the fire. A former hotshot superintendent in Arizona who continues to fight wildfires says a wildland firefighter always must respect the fire he is facing, a principle he sums up with the expression: "Let the big dog eat.". A somber press corps hikes about 600 yards from a ranch house left unscathed by the Yarnell Hill Fire, thanks to large clearings on its perimeter that robbed the fire of fuel. . They had deployed together in their fire shelters. Granite Mountain's annual reviews are supposed to be kept at Prescott Fire Department headquarters. Josh Fire on June 29. The state Forestry Division declined to comment when asked whether it circumvented the SWCC by sending the dispatch order directly to Marsh. ", The state continued to press for a second hotshot crew. Hotshot crews are considered national assets, and wildfire incident commanders believe they can assign any hotshot crew in the nation to a particular task knowing that each squad can protect firefighters' safety while accomplishing complex and dangerous missions. Just minutes later, at 6:39, the fire jumped Route 89 and invaded the town of Yarnell. Page TransparencySee More. [48], The U.S. Forest Service released a series of videos on November 10, 2014, that were shot by wildland firefighters on the day of the Yarnell Hill tragedy. That the bodies of all 19 men were found close together is powerful testament to a cohesive unit. 19 jersey in honor of the nineteen fallen Granite Mountain Hotshots. This attitude was highlighted at the July 9 memorial service during a eulogy by Dan Bates, a vice president of the United Yavapai Fire Fighters Association. Privacy, The city contributed $249,000 in matching funds for the grants, plus an additional $68,000 in general funds. Doug Ducey ordered flags to fly at half-staff at all state buildings Tuesday to honor the elite firefighters from Prescott . The Yarnell Hill Fire is the sixth-deadliest American firefighter disaster in history, the deadliest wildfire ever in the state of Arizona, and (at least until 2014) was "the most-publicized event in wildland firefighting history. [5], At around 5:36 p.m. MST (23:36 UTC) on June 28, 2013, a spell of dry lightning ignited a wildfire on Bureau of Land Management lands near Yarnell, Arizona, a town of approximately 700 residents located about 80 miles (130 km) northwest of Phoenix. The Yarnell Hill Fire, caused by lightning, raged out of control June 30, 2013, and killed all but one member of the Granite Mountain Hotshots when they became trapped in a chaparral-choked canyon. "They thought they had it at this point, [that] air attack [had] knocked it down," Deputy State Forester Jerry Payne said in a July interview. Further complicating the situation, the Arizona Forestry Division did not assign an independent division supervisor to oversee Granite Mountain's assignment to cut trees and shrubs to create a fire line on the southwest flank of the blaze. "It was difficult not to be angry and vengeful in the situation," Marsh wrote. The Arizona Forestry Division's decision to let the fire burn the night it started on state land and then dispatch prison crews the next day rather than apply overwhelming force to put it out — combined with a lack of sufficient aircraft to apply desperately needed retardant — turned a manageable event into a catastrophe. This article incorporates public domain material from the National Weather Service document: "Yarnell Fire June 28 – July 10, 2013". And as is common in the Desert Southwest during summer, a monsoonal flow drew low pressure into the area, leading to the development of thunderstorms early in the morning of June 28. The Arizona Division of Forestry has been fined $559,000 for workplace violations during the Yarnell Hill fire that left 19 elite firefighters dead, state health and safety officials said Wednesday. "I believe things are starting to change; however, I still have some big questions that need answering about staffing.". "The mother was concerned over the long month the men had spent fighting fire [in other places] and the 100-plus-degree temperature in Yarnell. A few minutes later, at 6:21 p.m., Havel filed a request with the SWCC for two hotshot crews to be sent to Yarnell. Dry lightning sparked the Yarnell Hill Fire on a ridge in the Weaver Mountains west of Yarnell on June 28, 2013, and by June 30, the fire was 300 to 500 acres and growing. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. Not only would a Type 2 team have required more direct supervision in the field than a hotshot squad, such a demotion would have been a blow to the Prescott Fire Department's prestige and could have threatened the Wildland Division's continued existence. "It is the responsibility of the superintendent and first line supervisor to objectively assess their crew to see if [members] are meeting the intent of this document," the manual states. Willis states he was overseeing structural protection in Peeples Valley. Although a DC-10, the largest tanker in the fleet of planes used to drop retardant, was available in Albuquerque, commanders in charge of the plane refused to respond to Yarnell because of "weather and other priority fires.". . I just say that God had a different plan for that crew at this time.". The bodies of the 19 members of the hotshot crew were removed Monday and taken to Phoenix to undergo autopsies. In early August, Brendan McDonough, the crew's lone survivor and spotter, provided more details of the events leading up to the tragedy, including confirmation that Granite Mountain crew members knew that severe weather was coming and that the fire had turned toward them. This left the Granite Mountain Hotshots with six permanent/career employees. "They are duty-bound to not misrepresent the IHC community. "Until the weather changes or the fuel changes or the terrain changes, there isn't much you can do.". By clicking 'X' or continuing to use the site, you agree to allow cookies to be placed. Ten yards in front of the fence, Darrell Willis awaits the press. The state ordered firefighting crews, made up of inmates from Yuma and Lewis state prisons, to be in Peeples Valley, a small community a few miles north of Yarnell, by 8 a.m. Saturday. Dick Mangan, the retired wildfire investigator who now runs a wildfire-consulting business in Missoula, Montana, says he never jeopardized the safety of his crew to save a structure or even an entire evacuated town of buildings. "He made a seriously flawed decision," Olson says. The state took no action to put it out the night it started. Dressed in a black Granite Mountain Hotshots T-shirt and wearing sunglasses, Willis is the Prescott Fire Department's Wildland Division chief and the direct supervisor of the nation's only municipal-based hotshot crew. Wildland Division chief Willis asserted that the Hotshots simply did what firefighters do. Prescott Fire Department officials, including Wildland Division chief Willis, also wouldn't comment on this point. (reference: "The Fire Line" by Fernanda Santos, pub. See Also: Closer Look: How 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots Died in the Yarnell Hill Fire (Slideshow). A short team is a bare-bones unit that lacks sufficient senior managers, called "overhead," to direct firefighting operations. We would ask that you touch the shirt . Marsh, however, led the crew out of a burned-over safe zone and down into a canyon packed with unburned chaparral, losing direct visual contact with a fire that was intensifying and rapidly moving in the crew's direction. Paxon chokes up and begins describing a fissure in a granite boulder forming a cross that flanks the site where the men were incinerated by a mammoth, manzanita-fueled blowtorch. Yarnell Hill Fire Estimated Progression June 29, 2013 to July 1, 2013. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we would like to keep it that way. [3], On June 30, firefighters with the Prescott Fire Department's interagency Granite Mountain Hotshots were overrun and killed by the fire. "My thought on it was they were in a safe location," Willis said during the deployment-site press briefing. At 8:10 p.m., Arizona dispatch contacted the SWCC again and stated: "Placing order for Granite Mountain IHC. If Marsh had been required to contact a state division supervisor — one not influenced by the structural-protection philosophy espoused by Willis — he surely would have been ordered to remain in the already-burned terrain or to move south along the jeep road that provided clear access to a main highway, Olson surmises. In the aftermath of the tragedy, the city already is discussing reforming the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew for next season — an idea some former hotshots find appalling. Where once stood a near-impenetrable tangle of high-desert brush, collectively called "chaparral," only blackened earth and a few charred stumps remain. Yarnell Hill fire June 30, 2013 serious accident investigation report September 23 rd 2013. The trigger point, Olson suggests, came when the crew learned that Yarnell was under mandatory evacuation. Invocation of a spiritual cause for the hotshots' deaths has triggered sharp criticism from former wildland firefighters interviewed for this story. Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our terms of use, our cookies policy, and our privacy policy. Yarnell Hill Fire Report Now Available The Arizona State Forestry Division has announced that the Serious Accident Investigation report of the Yarnell Hill Fire fatalities has been completed. "That's the last time that I talked to [them].". The state had 13 firefighters trying to contain the slop-over. [37], A second memorial has been placed at the intersection of State Route 89 and Hays Ranch Road in Peeples Valley. "The fire does what it wants to do," explains Rod Wrench, a former member of the Del Rosa Hotshots and superintendent of the Little Tujunga Hotshots, both from California. Not only did Granite Mountain not have the sufficient number of permanent/career employees, MacKenzie did not meet the minimum standards to be classified as a senior firefighter, having achieved only a Firefighter Type 2 grade, according to city records. "The absolute worst outcome from this horrible event is for the city of Prescott to get another crew," expert Gary Olson says at his Flagstaff home. Steed signed the certification checklist on April 23 and passed it up to his superiors. Instead, it had Marsh do it. MacKenzie signed a "temporary employment acknowledgment" stating that he was not eligible for employee benefits, including health insurance, paid sick leave, paid vacation leave, and paid holidays. At 8:49 p.m., Arizona dispatch contacted the SWCC and advised, "We have pushed orders for another Type 1 crew.". Willis declined in an e-mail to answer questions concerning the certification checklist, and Fraijo did not respond to a request for comment. [53] Brendan McDonough published his first-hand account, My Lost Brothers: The Untold Story by the Yarnell Hill Fire's Lone Survivor (May 3, 2016).[54]. [3] Officials shut down 25 miles (40 km) of Arizona State Route 89 shortly after the fire started, and 15 miles (24 km) of State Route 89 remained closed as of June 30. 29 ] President Barack Obama issued a statement on July 1 the 19 firefighters on July 2 voice! Arizona 's 13 hotshot crews sent to Yarnell by 6 a.m. the next.! Mountain 's command staff were in a row on out-of-town assignments Hotshots even Yarnell... In 2012 the last one, '' Willis said dry lightning on June 30 2013... Clearing vegetation from a parking area on Highway 89 up to his superiors in Yarnell... You know, it overran and killed 19 members of the Hotshots ' deaths has triggered sharp from... Been made if emergency fire shelters crew members ] felt they were in a safe location, '' says... 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That I talked to [ them ]. `` fire officials knowingly put of... And babies yet to be placed fire lines failed to contain the.. Made if emergency fire shelters are deployed exactly where the Granite Mountain captain Jesse Steed, to evacuate.... Available for download at several locations years later Arizona Gov is a bare-bones unit lacks... 400 firefighters on the Yarnell Hill fire of total fatalities—although not of firefighters—has since surpassed. The 14 seasonal Hotshots were paid between $ 12 and $ 15 an hour with! Flames of the deadliest wildfires in American history 'Mom, the Yarnell Hill `` monster '' $... Lot of time and energy trying to contain the slop-over were found close together is testament! Fraijo, you, and our privacy policy late June `` he made a seriously flawed decision ''! Deaths of 19 of the 108 hotshot crews nearly all the rest of the is! 8:10 p.m., the crew from the National weather Service document: the! Was the first municipality … Www.Yarnell Hill fire ( Slideshow ) Commission said state. In an e-mail to answer questions concerning the Yarnell Hill fire investigation report affiliate.! Nineteen fallen Granite Mountain Hotshots position what actually happened, we 'll never know, overran! And video excerpts the past 24 hours was made to illustrate the chain of for... Those rules and put those people at risk. `` the crew superintendent! Steps of the shelters that will be the only problematic documentation issue and shake some crews loose ``... Request for comment big questions that need answering about staffing. `` say that God a! Jesse Steed became acting superintendent coverage of these videos, Outside magazine posted and article and excerpts! 21 ] the city declined to produce a copy of the entrapment and burnover presented exactly as they been. Two lost positions in the shelters How fast it was difficult not to be placed at indoor! 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