Posted on 06/30/2013 10:40:26 PM PDT by montag813
Above: The Granite Mountain Hot Shots of Prescott, Arizona. 19 of 20 crew members perished in the Yarnell Hill fire today.
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Gusty, hot winds blew an Arizona blaze out of control Sunday in a forest northwest of Phoenix, overtaking and killing 19 members of an elite fire crew in the deadliest wildfire involving firefighters in the U.S. for at least 80 years - and the worst since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001/
Members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots were forced to deploy their fire shelters - tent-like structures meant to shield firefighters from flames and heat - when they were caught near the central Arizona town of Yarnell, state forestry spokesman Art Morrison told The Associated Press.
Stand With Arizona is not going to release the names of those who perished at this time out of respect for their families. But we wanted to give our readers some idea of who these brave souls were. Some of those who died today can be seen in the photos and video below. God bless them all.
The Granite Mountain Hot Shots, established in 2002, were an elite ground firefighting crew known for their innovative problem-solving and history of safe, aggressive fire suppression. Members of the crew were highly trained, came from diverse backgrounds, and worked long hours in extreme environmental conditions doing the most demanding of fireline tasks.
They carried 50-70 pounds on their back, hiked seven miles or more to where they needed to work, and worked up to 14 hours, sometimes longer.
The average age of the men in the hotshot crew was 22-years-old.
"They have to be ready to leave for an assignment on two hours' notice, which sometimes means missing family events,"Wade Ward of the Prescott FD said last week. "They have to be prepared to be on that assignment for 21 days, get two days rest at home, and possibly be sent out on another 21-day assignment."
Prior to the Yarnell Hill fire which took nearly all of their lives, the team had just returned from a wildfire in New Mexico.
When this fire was reported. The team jumped into action to help contain the fire.
Just one week ago, the same crew also led the charge against the Doce fire in the Prescott National Forest.
Above: A Prescott Fire Department Granite Mountain Hot Shots member sharpens his chainsaw Saturday before a 16-hour shift battling the Doce fire, 6/23/2013. (Wade Ward, Prescott Fire Department)
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This video below of the Hotshots was filmed in April 2012. Chillingly, it shows the crew practicing the deplpoyment of their fire shelters, which are aluminum foil and silica sacks that reflect radiant heat and have saved the lives of nearly 300 firefighters since 1977.
Reportedly, during the Yarnell Hill fire, the crew got into a catastrophic situation where sudden, fierce winds created a wave of fire which caught them in a ridge, unable to retreat to any safe zones. They attempted to deploy these shelters, but either did not have enough time, or the fire was too intense to resist. Only one of the crew of 20 survived inside his shelter, as 19 of his brothers perished.
The hotshot crew had never before been forced to deploy these shelters in a fire prior to today's tragic conflagration.
God bless their souls. Our prayers for their families in this hour of unimaginable anguish. And our prayers to those still battling this hell on Earth in the ground in Arizona at this very hour.
Excerpt...click here for the full story.
Yes. I wonder if Zero’s ‘sequester’ has anything to do with it. You know, where the gov’t. hacks slash funding for essential services while party hacks continue to live well.
Oh, BG, I have been out of town for a week, and did not find out about the Yarnell fire until yesterday - and then another one at Granite Mountain!
Prayers have been constant for all in harm’s way!!
We had major lightening here in Sedona an hour ago, and I am so thankful that RAIN came with it!
Stay safe everyone!
What a true yet sad poem, NM! Prayers for all the families of those who lost their HERO in AZ.
You know the danger - you know the commitment. Prayers for you and your team, and all those who risk their lives to save property and dwellings from devastating fires!
I *think* Granite is out. Again.
The other? Not for a looooooooong time, I’d imagine. It’s sort of raining now. Not enough to matter. But it’s something.
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