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Yarnell Hill Fire

Coordinates: 34°14′54″N 112°45′29″W / 34.24833°N 112.75806°W / 34.24833; -112.75806
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Yarnell Hill Fire
Date(s)June 28, 2013
5:30 p.m. (UTC−07:00)
LocationYarnell, Yavapai County, Arizona,
U.S.
Coordinates34°14′54″N 112°45′29″W / 34.24833°N 112.75806°W / 34.24833; -112.75806
Statistics
Burned area8,400 acres (3,400 ha) as of 8:17 a.m. MST on July 2[1]
Land useMixed (residential and wildlands)
Impacts
Deaths19
Non-fatal injuries22
Structures destroyed200 to 250

The Yarnell Hill Fire is an ongoing wildfire near Yarnell, Arizona, which was ignited by lightning on June 28, 2013. On June 30, nineteen firefighters with the Prescott Fire Department's interagency Granite Mountain Hotshots were overrun and killed by the fire. Initial reports indicated that one of the firefighters was not a member of the hotshot crew, but Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo confirmed that all 19 were from the Granite Mountain Hotshots.[2] The lone survivor of the Granite Mountain Hotshots was moving the crew vehicle at the time of the burnover; 22 other people were injured. Fourteen of the firefighters were in their 20s; their names were released on July 1, 2013.[3] The lone survivor on the crew, Brendan McDonough, was hospitalized; his name was released on July 2 by the Prescott Fire Department. [4]

The deaths of the 19 firefighters are the largest loss of firefighters from a wildfire since the Griffith Park fire of 1933 and the sixth largest loss of firefighters in the United States overall.[5][6] It is also the deadliest single wildfire event in the United States in the 21st century.[7][8]

Fire history

Yarnell Hill Fire is located in Arizona
Yarnell Hill Fire
Yarnell Hill Fire
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Location of the Yarnell Hill Fire
Aerial view of the fire from the south.

Around 5:30 p.m. MST (23:30 UTC) on June 28, 2013, lightning ignited a wildfire near Yarnell, Arizona, a town of approximately 700 residents about 80 miles northwest of Phoenix.[9] Strong winds in the area, reaching more than 22 mph (35 km/h), quickly whipped up the flames and pushed it out of control on June 30, growing from 300 acres (120 ha) to over 2,000 acres (810 ha) that day.[10] A long-term drought plaguing the area also contributed to the fire's rapid spread and erratic behavior, as did hot temperatures of 101 °F (38 °C). As of June 30, at least 2,000 acres (810 ha) were burned and the fire was completely uncontrolled.[10]

As of July 1, 2013, half of Yarnell, about 200 to 250 homes, had been destroyed and the fire had grown to over 8,300 acres (3,400 ha). The nearby community of Peeples Valley was evacuated, though no structures have been destroyed at last report.[10] The fire was still completely uncontrolled, with more than 400 firefighters on the line.[11]

Response

Officials shut down 25 miles (40 km) of Arizona State Route 89 shortly after the fire started.[10] 15 miles (24 km) of State Route 89 remain closed as of June 30.[12] A total evacuation of Yarnell and partial evacuation of Peeples Valley was ordered as well.[10] At least 600 people were put under mandatory evacuation orders. An evacuation shelter was set up at Yavapai College in Prescott, with members of the Red Cross providing cots and blankets for overnight stays. Meals and medical assistance were also provided to residents.[12] A second evacuation shelter was set up at Wickenburg High School in nearby Wickenburg because the closure of State Route 89 made it impossible for some people to reach the first shelter. The two shelters are serving individuals, families and small animals; large animals are being sheltered at the Hidden Springs Ranch in Peeples Valley.[13]

A Type 2 incident management team was in charge of the fire late on June 30, with a Type 1 team ordered.[14] Clay Templin's Southwest Area Type 1 Incident Management Team assumed management of the fire on July 1.[15]

Resources on June 30 included 16 engines, eight water tenders, two crash/rescue vehicles, two structure protection vehicles, one bulldozer, one hotshot crew (with another four on order), seven type 2 handcrews, a camp crew, and four type 2 hand crews on order. One Very Large Airtanker (VLAT) and an air attack unit were also on order.[1] By the morning of July 2 the fire had grown another 798 acres to a total of 9,172 acres, as mapped by an infrared aircraft flight. The fire was still at zero containment. Resources included five Type 1 (hotshot) crews, seven Type 2 crews, three Type 1 (heavy) helicopters, two Type 2 (medium) helicopters, two Type 3 (light) helicopters, and 36 engines.[16]

Casualties

On June 30, 19 firefighters with the Prescott Fire Department's interagency[17] Granite Mountain Hotshots were overrun and killed by the fire.[18] 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 from the Granite Mountain Hotshots.[19] The lone survivor of the Granite Mountain Hotshots was reported to have been moving the crew vehicle at the time of the burnover. At the time of their deaths, the firefighters had apparently deployed fire shelters, but not all of the bodies were found inside them.[20] The city of Prescott released the names of the nineteen firefighters on July 1.[21]

The 19 firefighters killed were:

  • Andrew Ashcraft, 29
  • Robert Caldwell, 23
  • Travis Carter, 31
  • Dustin Deford, 24
  • Christopher MacKenzie, 30
  • Eric Marsh, 43
  • Grant McKee, 21
  • Sean Misner, 26
  • Scott Norris, 28
  • Wade Parker, 22
  • John Percin, 24
  • Anthony Rose, 23
  • Jesse Steed, 36
  • Joe Thurston, 32
  • Travis Turbyfill, 27
  • William Warneke, 25
  • Clayton Whitted, 28
  • Kevin Woyjeck, 21
  • Garret Zuppiger, 27

According to the National Fire Protection Association, it was the greatest loss of life for firefighters in a wildfire since 1933, and it was also the greatest loss of firefighters in the United States since the September 11 attacks.[22] As of July 1, 2013, there were approximately 20 injuries, none of them involving residents of Yarnell.[23]

Reaction

On June 30, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer issued a statement offering her condolences.[24] She ordered flags to be flown at half-staff throughout Arizona on July 1, 2 and 3.[25]

U.S. President Barack Obama,[26] Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman Craig Fugate and United States Fire Administrator Ernest Mitchell[27] issued similar statements on July 1.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yarnell Hill Fire.

References

  1. ^ a b "InciWeb the Incident Information System: Yarnell Hill Fire". Inciweb.org. 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  2. ^ "19 firefighters killed in Arizona forest fire". Washington Post. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  3. ^ "Names of firefighters killed in Yarnell Fire released". FOX news. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  4. ^ "Lone Survivor Identified". ABCnews. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  5. ^ "Multiple firefighter fatality incidents" (PDF). MSN. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  6. ^ Jessica Flores (June 30, 2013). "19 Firefighters Working Yarnell Hill Fire Confirmed Dead". KSAZ-TV. The Free Republic. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  7. ^ "19 Firefighters From Elite Hotshot Crew Killed In Arizona Wildfires". Before It's News. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  8. ^ "Fire sweeps through Oakland hills". This Day In History. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  9. ^ Santos, Fernanda (July 1, 2013). "Arizona Blaze That Killed 19 Firefighters Rages On". New York Times. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  10. ^ a b c d e Jackee Coe and Laurie Merrill (June 30, 2013). "19 firefighters dead in Yarnell Hill Fire". Arizona Central. Retrieved June 30, 2013. Cite error: The named reference "AZCentral" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  11. ^ "'For now, we mourn': Few answers after 19 killed in Arizona wildfire". NBC News. July 1, 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  12. ^ a b Benson, Phil (June 30, 2013). "19 firefighters dead in Yarnell wildfire". KLTV 7. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  13. ^ Bierman, Breanne (July 1, 2013). "Yarnell Hill Fire: Red Cross sets up shelters for Arizona wildfire victims". CBS 5 Arizona. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  14. ^ "Southwest Coordination Center". NIFC. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  15. ^ "Yarnell Hill Fire incident info". inciweb. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  16. ^ "Southwest Coordination Center". SWCC. 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  17. ^ "Granite Mountain Hotshots". Prescott Fire Department. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  18. ^ "Multiple firefighter fatalities on the Yarnell Fire in Arizona". Wildfiretoday.org. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  19. ^ "Granite Mountain Hotshots". Washington Post. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  20. ^ Harris, Craig (July 1, 2013). "Deadly Yarnell Hill Fire: Crews expect fire to be erratic". The Republic. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  21. ^ "19 elite firefighters killed in Arizona wildfire identified". WPVI-TV. July 1, 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  22. ^ Anthony Castellano (July 1, 2013). "19 Firefighters Killed in Arizona Wildfire". Yahoo!. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  23. ^ Steve Stout and Breann Bierman (July 1, 2013). "Deadly Yarnell Hill Fire explodes to 8,000 acres". KPHO 5. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  24. ^ "Statement from Governor Jan Brewer:Tragedy on the Yarnell fire" (PDF). State of Arizona. June 30, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  25. ^ "Statement from Governor Jan Brewer: Lowering flags for fallen firefighters". Yuma News Now. July 1, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  26. ^ Pearce, Matt (July 1, 2013). "Obama on Arizona firefighter deaths: 'They were heroes'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 1, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. ^ "Statements by FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and US Fire Administrator Ernest Mitchell on the Wildfire in Arizona". Federal Emergency Management Agency. July 1, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
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