Arizona Wildfire Kills 19 Firefighters, Deadliest In Decades

By Bill Chappell

Published July 1, 2013 at 6:22 AM CDT

The Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew is shown in this undated handout photo provided by the city of Prescott, Ariz. The elite team of 19 firemen were killed on Sunday in one of the deadliest U.S. firefighting disasters in decades.

In what is being called the deadliest U.S. wildfire in at least 30 years, an out-of-control blaze trapped and killed 19 firefighters Sunday in central Arizona. They had been forced to use temporary shelters in an attempt to survive.

All of those killed were part of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, an elite group based in Prescott, Ariz., that uses rigorous training to prepare for fighting wildfires. They are frequently deployed to the front lines of firefighting efforts against such blazes.

Update at 6:04 p.m. ET: Firefighters Identified

The city of Prescott, Ariz., has named the 19 firefighters killed Sunday. They are:

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.

Update at 5:02 p.m. ET: Bodies Arrive In Phoenix

The medical examiner's office will conduct autopsies on the bodies of the 19 firefighters.

Meanwhile, Arizona Public Radio's Gillian Ferris reports that the blaze has forced the evacuation of all 700 residents of Yarnell, north of Phoenix, from their homes.

The Associated Press says 400 firefighters are now battling the blaze.

Also, NPR's Howard Berkes is reporting on a new national wildfire forecast. Here's what he told our Newscast Unit: "The potential for significant wildfire is above normal now from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast, as trees, brush and grasses continue to dry out. In some areas now they're drier than ever recorded."

Firefighters are seen working on the Yarnell Hill fire, in this photograph from this weekend provided by the Arizona State Forestry Division. Officials say 19 firefighters died battling the blaze Sunday.

Update at 12:40 p.m. ET: Damage Estimate Update

The Yavapai County Sheriff's office has updated their report on damage from the Yarnell Hill fire, to say 50 structures have been destroyed. That's a sharp revision of an earlier estimate that as many as 250 structures might have been destroyed. The office says another 250 homes are still threatened by the fire.

Update at 12:20 p.m. ET: Firefighter Casualties Confirmed

The 19 firefighters who died Sunday were part of the same unit, officials in Arizona confirm. Many early reports had left open the possibility that one of the victims was not a member of the team. Only one of the Granite Mountain Hotshots' 20 members survived. We've revised part of our post below that was written when those details were lacking.

The most recent wildfire that claimed more than 10 firefighters' lives was the South Canyon fire of Glenwood Springs, Colo., which killed 14 firefighters in 1994. Records of deadly wildfires and similar incidents are kept by the National Fire Protection Association, which lists the Griffith Park (Los Angeles) blaze of 1933 as the last wildfire to claim more lives than the Yarnell Hill fire. A reported 29 firefighters died in the Griffith Park fire.

Update at 11:25 a.m. ET: Fire Grows To More Than 8,000 Acres

The latest information we have from the incident management team handling the Yarnell Hill fire is that the wildfire grew to 8,374 acres as of this morning. The fire's containment is listed as zero.

And conditions today won't help. Local forecasts call for humidity below 20 percent, temperatures approaching 100 degrees, and wind gusts.

Firefighters are continuing to fight the blaze, supported by air tankers and helicopters dropping fire retardant and water. Emergency officials say that four more hotshot crews are on their way to help.

Our original post continues:

The Yarnell Hill Fire started Friday near the town of Yarnell, about 85 miles northwest of Phoenix. The cause is under investigation, but many news outlets are reporting that the fire may have been sparked by a lightning strike. The blaze grew quickly and erratically, spreading from 2,000 acres to 6,000 acres as of late Sunday night. The flames have destroyed at least 50 structures.

Monday morning, the local said simply, "Prescott is mourning."

The loss has led to the creation of a Facebook page honoring those killed by the fire over the weekend. As of this morning, more than 100,000 people had liked the page, with many people, including Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, writing in with their condolences.

Hotshot crews often have about 20 members. Cut off from safety, the firefighters tried to use personal emergency shelters — sort of a cross between a tent and a sleeping bag — to survive.

"They're a last-ditch effort. They're something that we train on, but it's not something that we rely on, in any case," Prescott Fire Department spokesman Wade Ward tells Fox 10 News. "The only thing that we can say is that it must have been a very unbearable situation and a last resort," he added, noting the firefighters' training and awareness of conditions.

"Emotionally, we're devastated. We just lost 19 of some of the finest people you'll ever meet," Prescott fire chief Dan Fraijo says. "I mean, right now, we're in crisis."

Incident Commander Mike Reichling tells ABC 15 what helped make the Yarnell fire so dangerous:

"This fire was very radical in its behavior, the fuels were very dry, the relative humidity was low, the wind was coming out of the south, it turned around on us because of monsoon action this afternoon. That's what caused the deaths, the change in the radical behavior of the burning fuels."

The Arizona Republic puts the loss in historic perspective, reporting that "the Sunday incident is believed to be the deadliest firefighting toll in a wildfire since 1933, and the deadliest single event for firefighters since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks."

The Granite Mountain Hotshots had worked on the nearby Doce fire in June, according to the Courier. It also fought fires in New Mexico this year.

In a statement issued by the White House early Monday, President Obama called the fallen firefighters heroes.

Here's the president's statement:

"Yesterday, nineteen firefighters were killed in the line of duty while fighting a wildfire outside Yarnell, Arizona. They were heroes — highly skilled professionals who, like so many across our country do every day, selflessly put themselves in harm's way to protect the lives and property of fellow citizens they would never meet. In recent days, hundreds of firefighters have battled extremely dangerous blazes across Arizona and the Southwest. The federal government is already assisting, and we will remain in close contact with state and local officials to provide the support they need. But today, Michelle and I join all Americans in sending our thoughts and prayers to the families of these brave firefighters and all whose lives have been upended by this terrible tragedy."

Officials are promising an investigation into what happened. Yarnell Hill is one of several wildfires currently burning in the U.S. NPR's Fire Forecast app, which is updated daily, keeps track of reported wildfires. We'll embed it below. You can change the location by entering a new "ZIP code, city, etc."