Yarnell Hill Fire

10 Stories

19 'Hotshot' Firefighters Didn't Have to Die: Report

Families get new, upsetting information about Yarnell Hill Fire

(Newser) - Family members of the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots firefighters who were killed in Arizona's Yarnell Hill Fire in July are struggling with the added heartbreak that their loved ones didn't have to die. A state safety commission ruled yesterday that state forestry officials made numerous errors; among them:...

Radio Problems Tied to Deaths of 19 Firefighters

Investigators say communication was shoddy during Arizona blaze

(Newser) - An investigation into the June deaths of 19 firefighters killed while battling an Arizona blaze has found improperly programmed radios, vague updates, and a 30-minute communication blackout just before the flames engulfed the men. The report says at the moment the firefighters were killed, an air tanker carrying fire retardant...

Procession Carries 19 Fallen Firefighters Home

Hours-long journey takes bodies from Phoenix to Prescott

(Newser) - The 19 firefighters killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire are finally going home. Nineteen white hearses left the medical examiner's office in Phoenix earlier today, flanked by an honor guard of firefighters and police officers, embarking on an hours-long, 125-mile procession that will pass through Yarnell, where they lost...

How the Arizona Fire Tragedy Unfolded

New reports detail the final moments of the Hotshot crew

(Newser) - Although the circumstances of how 19 firefighters were killed in Arizona's Yarnell Hill Fire are already broadly known , new reports offer a more detailed look at how the tragedy unfolded. The AP has compiled a map of the Hotshot crew's final movements, confirmed by fire officials, showing the...

Arizona Fire Now 45% Contained

Yarnell Hill blaze has ravaged 8.4K acres

(Newser) - The Arizona wildfire that killed 19 elite firefighters has been 45% contained, up from an official figure of 8% yesterday, as teams link fire lines, the Arizona Republic reports. "We’ve had a very productive day today," an official said yesterday. Authorities said they hadn't seen any...

Firefighter Sent Wife Final Image of Doomed Crew

'It’s getting really wild out here,' he said

(Newser) - Before he perished along with 18 other firefighters, Andrew Ashcraft texted his wife a final photograph of the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew making camp for lunch as smoke from the Yarnell Hill fire rose in the background. "I'd love to be in a swimming pool right now,"...

Hotshots' Doom Sealed by Fire's Sudden Shift

'Burn over' in Yarnell Hill fire overtook 19 firefighters

(Newser) - The 19 firefighters killed in Arizona's Yarnell Hill Fire were among "the best of the best" in their field, say peers—but that wasn't enough to protect members of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew when the fire took a quick, unexpected turn. "Only Mother Nature...

3 Fallen Firefighters Were Expectant Dads

14 of the men were in their 20s

(Newser) - More than a thousand people gathered in Prescott, Ariz., yesterday to mourn 19 firefighters who died battling an out-of-control wildfire . Speakers including Rep. Trent Franks praised the men for their heroism and sacrifice, the AP reports. Authorities have now released the names of the 19 victims, 14 of whom were...

Yesterday Deadliest Day for Firefighters Since 9/11

Only 5 days in US history have higher death tolls

(Newser) - It's clear that yesterday was a brutal day for firefighters , with 19 killed in Arizona's Yarnell Hill Fire. But USA Today puts the tragedy in starker terms: It's the worst day our nation's firefighters have suffered since 9/11, and in terms of wildfires, it's the...

19 Firefighters Dead in Arizona

 19 Elite Firefighters 
 Dead in Arizona 
UPDATED
Jul 1, 2013 7:52 AM CDT

19 Elite Firefighters Dead in Arizona

They were trapped by wildfire in Yarnell

(Newser) - Tragedy in central Arizona, where 19 elite firefighters are dead after getting trapped by a fast-moving wildfire in the town of Yarnell. Eighteen of the men were part of the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew from Prescott, reports the Arizona Republic . An additional crew member wasn't with his team and...

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