YARNELL, Ariz. — On June 30, 2013, the town of Yarnell faced one of the deadliest wildfires in U.S. history. Of the 20-man crew of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, 19 members lost their lives battling the fire.
The Yarnell Hill Fire had been ignited two days before by a lightning strike and spread quickly and erratically due to strong monsoon winds.
With the exception of 21-year-old Brendan McDonough, who had been posted some distance away from the crew as a watchman, the hotshots found themselves in the fire's path.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Recordando al escuadrón especial de Granite Mountain: 10 años después del incendio en la montaña Yarnell
Reports show that the flames were nearly 70 feet long as winds pushed them almost horizontally across the landscape.
The crew was trapped and deployed their fire shelters. Tragically, they did not survive.
Although the fire was not the largest in Arizona history -- only burning 8,400 acres -- it's considered one of the deadliest. Now, 10 years later, 12News is looking back on the tragedy of the fire, and the strength and recovery of Yarnell.
Remembering the Granite Mountain Hotshots
Honoring Prescott's crew
The Granite Mountain Hotshots weren't just a firefighting crew. They were Prescott's crew. Almost everyone had seen them around the city, even if they didn't know them personally. After their deaths, the town stood still.
The fence outside their fire station quickly became a memorial, wreathed with mementos, messages, and photographs.
Hear from the people who saw them live and work in Prescott, and watched the town transform after their passing.
Losing homes to the fire
The fire took 127 structures, including scores of homes in Yarnell. When the evacuation was lifted, people came back to sift through what was left. Their homes were flattened, twisted, and charred. Burnt ceramic, salt and pepper shakers; a random assortment was all that remained in the ash.
But people returned to Yarnell and rebuilt their lives and livelihoods. This is what it was like to feel the heat of the Yarnell Hill Fire.
The second crew on the hill
It's been 10 years since the tragic deaths of the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots. But those men weren't alone. A second firefighting crew was also trapped in the Yarnell Hill Fire and narrowly avoided that fatal firestorm.
Longtime fire chief Bob Brandon recounts the terrifying day when he and his crew nearly suffered the same fate as the Granite Mountain Hotshots.
Rebuilding Yarnell
After the Yarnell Hill Fire, a full year of construction, permits, deliveries, and coordination, were poured into reclaiming homes from the ashes. And if you drive through Yarnell now, you'd almost never know a fire came through.
The rebuilding process was a long, difficult affair that mostly came together as a labor of love. People all across Arizona came together to fund the colossal undertaking. This is their story.
Changing how we fight fires
The dynamic nature of out-of-control fires makes fighting them dangerous work. In the 10 years since the Granite Mountain Hotshots died in the Yarnell Hill Fire, it hasn't gotten easier.
But that tragedy sparked a wave of change as people pushed to improve techniques and technology to prevent another disaster. Learn more about how the face of firefighting has changed in the 10 years since that day.
Granite Mountain Hotshots
- Joe Thurston, 32
- Travis Turbyfill, 27
- William Warneke, 25
- Clayton Whitted, 28
- Kevin Woyjeck, 21
- Garret Zuppiger, 27
- Sean Misner, 26
- Scott Norris, 28
- Wade Parker, 22
- John Percin, 24
- Anthony Rose, 23
- Jesse Steed, 36
- Andrew Ashcraft, 29
- Robert Caldwell, 23
- Travis Carter, 31
- Dustin Deford, 24
- Christopher Mackenzie, 30
- Eric Marsh, 43
- Grant McKee, 21
Past coverage
- 'We lost the future, they all lost': Family, community honors Granite Mountain Hotshots
- Meet Arizona's most famous tree, but also a remembrance of the Granite Mountain Hotshots
- Hiking a trail of heroes; 8 years since 19 of the Granite Mountain Hotshots tragically lost their lives fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire
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