Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The devastation left by 'firestorm' that killed 19 Arizona firefighters: Shocking aerial images show town burned to the ground by blaze
19 firefighters confirmed dead near Arizona town of Yarnell, including an expectant father who was in Marine Corps Victims include two men who took after their fire captain fathers to become firefighters Fire broke out after lightning strike on Friday and burned 8,400 acres 200 homes burned and around 1,000 people have evacuated the area President Obama declared the firefighters 'heroes' and extra crews on their way to help as the fire continues to burn
By Ashley Collman, Becky Evans, Lydia Warren and Helen Pow PUBLISHED: 22:57 EST, 1 July 2013 | UPDATED: 05:29 EST, 2 July 2013
The first aerial pictures have emerged showing the utter devastation of an Arizona town and surrounding forest, where 19 courageous firefighters lost their lives battling wild fires on Sunday. The sobering images show scores of homes burned to the ground and charred forest in Yarnell following the worst rural firefighting tragedy in 80 years and came as more than 1,000 people turned out to a gym at the Prescott campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to honor those killed. The brave men - whose average age was just 27 - were outflanked and engulfed by wind-whipped flames in seconds, before some could scramble into cocoon-like personal shelters, as they were trained to do. Scroll down for video
1 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Horror: An aerial image shows a section of the town of Yarnell, Arizona destroyed by a wildfire which ripped through the town
Gone: An aerial image shows the charred remains of the town of Yarnell, Arizona
2 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Homes: Scores of homes and buildings were burned to the ground in the inferno
Deadly: Much of the small Arizona town was destroyed when the blaze tore through the area
3 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Shattered: The small town is reeling after the deaths of 19 brave firefighters in the fierce blaze on Sunday
The bodies of the elite firefighting crew who perished were retrieved from the mountain where they died on Monday and later, authorities named each of the victims, many of whom had young families. As the bodies of the Granite Mountain Hotshots were recovered, it emerged that the team's 20th member survived as he was moving the crew's truck when the flames overcame his comrades. Helicopters had been unable to reach the highly-trained men as they fought the flames in Yarnell and they could not be saved by their emergency shelters - tent-like structures meant to shield them from flames and heat. When they were found on Sunday, all 19 shelters were deployed but some of the men's bodies were inside their individual shelters, while others were outside - indicating just how suddenly they were overcome by the flames. Those who did manage to unfurl their foil-lined, heat-resistant tarps and climb inside - that last, desperate line of defense - couldn't be saved from a blaze that grew from 200 acres to about 2,000 in a matter of hours. 'It had to be a perfect storm in order for this to happen,' Prescott Fire Department spokesman Wade Ward told the Today show. 'Their situational awareness and their training was at such a high level that it's unimaginable that this has even happened.'
4 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Scorched earth: An aerial view of a strip of fire retardant near Yarnell, Arizona separating the burned area from the green area is seen on July 1, 2013
Charred: The helicopter images show the area where an elite squad of 19 Arizona firemen was killed
5 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
6 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
7 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Forest: Large swathes of forest were scorched when the blaze tore through the area
Smoke: Smoke was still seen and flames still burned on Monday after the devastating wild fires
8 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Tragic: The firefighting squad was apparently outflanked and engulfed by wind-whipped flames in seconds, before some could scramble into cocoon-like personal shelters
Loss: Kevin Woyjeck, left, and Wade Parker, right, were among the firefighters who lost their lives on Sunday as they tried to battle a massive wildfire in Yarnell Hill,
9 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Teammates: Unidentified members of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew, some of whom were killed, pose together in this undated photo provided by the City of Prescott
Heroes: A group photograph shows members of the Prescott Granite Mountain Hotshots
10 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Loved: The bodies of Wade Parker, 22, left, and 21-year-old Woyjeck, right, were retrieved on Monday
11 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Anthony Rose - 23 Jesse Steed - 36 Joe Thurston - 32 Travis Turbyfill - 27 William Warneke - 25 Clayton Whitted - 28 Kevin Woyjeck - 21 Garret Zuppiger - 27 At Monday night's ceremony, dozens of wildfire fighters sporting Hotshot shirts and uniforms from other jurisdictions marched down the bleachers to the front of the auditorium, their heavy work boots drumming a march on the wooden steps. They bowed their heads for a moment of silence in memory of their fallen comrades as slides bearing each man's name and age were projected behind them. Among the victims is Billy Warneke, a Marine Corps veteran who served a tour in Iraq and who was expecting his first child with his wife Roxanne this December, family told The Press Enterprise. The 25-year-old had joined the fire department just three months ago. Also killed was Kevin Woyjeck, who followed in the footsteps of his father, a fire captain with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. His grandmother told the Long Beach Press Telegram that Kevin, originally from Seal Beach, California, had been a firefighter for around four years. Another firefighter's son lost his life; Capt. Michael MacKenzie, who was once the captain of Moreno Valley, California, said his son Chris died in the flames. Chris MacKenzie joined the Forest Service in 2004 and had been in the Prescott Fire Department for two years. Other firefighters who have been identified include the Hotshots superintendent Eric Marsh, 22-year-old Wade Parker and father-of-four Andrew Ashcraft. Ashcraft's widow, Juliann, was seen sobbing by a makeshift memorial in Prescott for the fallen firefighters. She said she learned of his death while watching the news with their four children. 'They died heroes,' she told azcentral.com as she wept. 'And we'll miss them. We love them.' The tragedy is the deadliest single incident for firefighters since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, where as many as 340 crew members lost their lives, officials said. It is also the deadliest wildland blaze for firefighters in the U.S. for 80 years.
12 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Proud: Kevin Woyjeck, right, is pictured with his father, Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Joe Woyjeck (both left) and in the right photo chris Mackenzie (far right) also died in the inferno on Sunday. He had followed in the footsteps of his father, Mike MacKenzie (left), who was once the fire captain of Moreno Valley, California
13 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Tragedy: Mackenzie, pictured left and right, died as the men tried to climb into emergency shelters
14 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Killed: Travis Turbyfill, pictured with his family, also died with his team on Sunday on the mountainside
15 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Missed: Andrew Ashcraft, right, who was married with children and left, friends on Facebook also named Scott Norris, pictured, as one of the 19 victims
'Our entire crew was lost,' Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo told reporters. 'We just lost 19 of some of the finest people you'll ever meet. Right now, we're in crisis.' He said he feared the worst when he received a call Sunday afternoon from someone assigned to the fire. 'All he said was, "We might have bad news. The entire Hotshot crew deployed their shelters,"' Fraijo said. 'When we talk about deploying the shelters, that's an automatic fear, absolutely. That's a last-ditch effort to save yourself when you deploy your shelter.' Arizona Forestry Division spokesman Mike Reichling said all 19 victims had deployed their emergency shelters as they were trained to do. As a last resort, firefighters are supposed to step into the shelters, lie face down on the ground and pull the fire-resistant fabric completely over themselves. The shelter is designed to reflect heat and trap cool, breathable air inside for a few minutes while a wildfire burns over a person. But its success depends on firefighters being in a cleared area away from fuels and not in the direct path of a raging inferno of heat and hot gases. The glue holding the layers of the shelter together begins to come apart at about 500 degrees, well above the 300 degrees that would almost immediately kill a person.
16 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
'It'll protect you, but only for a short amount of time. If the fire quickly burns over you, you'll probably survive that,' said Prescott Fire Capt. Jeff Knotek. But 'if it burns intensely for any amount of time while you're in that thing, there's nothing that's going to save you from that.'
Memorial: A woman wipes away tears for the 19 Granite Mountain Emergency Hot Shot Crew members who died in the Yarnell Hill Fire during a memorial service at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, July 1, 2013
17 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Too much: Women cry during a memorial service for the 19 firefighters who perished battling the fierce blaze on Sunday
In mourning: Hotshot firefighters mourn during a moment of silence for the 19 firefighters who perished battling a fast-moving wildland fire at a memorial service
18 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Support: Firefighters Kayla Garst and Darcee Knight hug each other, left, while a family member of one of the victims, right, cries at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
19 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Overcome: Gina Martinez, center, and Chase Madrid, center right, comfort each other during a memorial service on Monday evening
20 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Hugs: Members of the Granite Mountain Emergency Hot Shot Crew hug each other during a memorial service at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona
21 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Heartbroken: Juliann Ashcraft, wife of fallen firefighter Andrew Ashcraft, cries alongside her father Tom Ashcraft outside of the Granite Mountain Hotshot fire station in Prescott
Disbelief: David Turbyfill is comforted by his wife Shari as he mourns his son Travis Turbyfill on Monday
22 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Tears: A group of girls cry after placing flowers at a make-shift memorial outside the Prescott fire station and right Nancy Myers speaks to her boss to let him know that she won't be able to make it into work
23 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Overwhelmed: Local resident Bob Hoskovec says a prayer as he kneels outside the gate on Monday
Flames: Fire crews can be seen as a wildfire burns homes in the Glenn Ilah area near Yarnell, Arizona Sunday
24 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Tragedy: The crew deployed emergency fire shelters to try to protect them from the blaze
25 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Destroyed: At least 200 homes in Yarnell have burned down as the blaze gained momentum
Death toll: The Yarnell wildfire is the deadliest wildfire involving firefighters in the U.S. for at least 30 years
26 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said that the 19 firefighters were a part of the city's fire department. With their deaths, the department lost 20 per cent of its members. 'We grieve for the family. We grieve for the department. We grieve for the city,' he said at a news conference Sunday evening. 'We're devastated. We just lost 19 of the finest people you'll ever meet.' Hot shot crews are elite firefighters who often hike for miles into the wilderness with chain saws and backpacks filled with heavy gear to build lines of protection between people and fires. They remove brush, trees and anything that might burn in the direction of homes and cities. The crew killed in the blaze had worked on other wildfires in recent weeks in New Mexico and Arizona, Fraijo said. 'By the time they got there, it was moving very quickly,' he said. He added that the firefighters had to deploy the emergency shelters when 'something drastic' occurred. 'One of the last fail safe methods that a firefighter can do under those conditions is literally to dig as much as they can down and cover themselves with a protective - kinda looks like a foil type - fire-resistant material - with the desire, the hope at least, is that the fire will burn over the top of them and they can survive it,' Fraijo said. 'Under certain conditions there's usually only sometimes a 50 per cent chance that they survive,' he said. 'It's an extreme measure that's taken under the absolute worst conditions.' Nineteen shelters were deployed and some of the firefighters were found inside them, Mike Reichling from the Arizona State Forestry Division told the Arizona Republic. Others were found outside them. The National Fire Protection Association had previously listed the deadliest wildland fire involving firefighters as the 1994 Storm King Fire near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, which killed 14 firefighters who were overtaken by a sudden explosion of flames.
Mourning: Toby Schultz pauses after laying flowers at the gate of the Granite Mountain Hot Shot Crew fire station in Prescott, Arizona on Monday morning. Nearly the whole teams was wiped out by the fire
27 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Remembrance: Volunteer citizen patrol officer Seymour Petrovsky stands guard at the gate
28 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Loss: Flowers hang on the fence outside the Granite Mountain Hot Shot Crew fire station
29 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Engulfed: 19 firefighters died as the wildfire spread near the Arizona town of Yarnell
30 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
He later gathered at the Arrowhead Bar and Grill in nearby Congress along with locals and watched on TV as he saw the fire destroy his house. 'That was when we knew it was really gone,' he said. He later fielded a phone call from a friend in which he said, 'Lost it all, man. Yep, it's all gone.' Morrison said the fire grew in intensity when winds began gusting at up to 24mph in the late afternoon. 'You get some winds, and it can take off on you,' he said.
Highly trained: Members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots (pictured last year) had been fighting wildfire in New Mexico and elsewhere in Arizona in the past few weeks
31 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Elite team: A photo from April 12, 2012 shows a squad leader with the Granite Mountain Hotshots training crew members on setting up emergency fire shelters outside of Prescott, Arizona
32 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Last hope: The firefighters deployed the emergency shelters on Sunday but died (picture from April 2012)
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has signed an order declaring a state of...
33 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Talk about retro! Teacher wears same outfit for school photo...
34 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
'All he did was love me': Police shoot and kill Rottweiler...
35 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Comments (13)
Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View all This is the saddest thing to happen since Newtown. I hope it was quick and they didn't suffer. Why is it that Jan Brewer can't speak into the Microphones? Why does she need to READ a prepared statement into a Mic with 15 Live ones in front of her. She looks drunk. God Bless our Hotshots!1 Sadness. - Jeff , New York, United States, 02/7/2013 08:10 Click to rate Report abuse Absolutely heartbreaking - RIP guys. - Ken , Portsmouth, United Kingdom, 02/7/2013 07:27 Click to rate Report abuse >>>> Looks like Afghanistan. Back to the stone age - foxyknoxy , somewhere, United Kingdom, 02/7/2013 05:19 ---------------------------------------------------- 19 firemen dead, and that's all an idiot like you can come out with. Some people have no shame or decency, and you are one of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Ken , Portsmouth, United Kingdom, 02/7/2013 07:26 Click to rate Report abuse Very tragic!! God bless them and their families. This is so incredibly sad! - DCJS , SC, United States, 02/7/2013 07:14 Click to rate Report abuse prayers for the families. Hard to lose one nevertheless 19 at once time. God bless them. - BeforeTheStorm , Castle in the Sky, United States, 02/7/2013 07:11 Rating 93 Rating 102 Rating 117 Rating 59
36 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM
Arizona wild fires pictures: Shocking aerial images show utter devastation... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pic...
Rating 85
Rest now my fallen brother Lay soft your suffering back Rest well forever Your memory shall not lack Rest your tired hands Wipe clean your weary brow Rest with St. Florian Your spirit now endowed Rest here your breaking heart We know you gave your all Rest easy, youve done your part Youve answered your last call - Chelle , New Mexico, United States, 02/7/2013 07:08 Click to rate Report abuse Rest now my fallen brother Lay soft your suffering back Rest well and forever Your memory shall not lack Rest your tired hands Wipe clean your weary brow Rest with St. Florian Your spirit now endowed Rest here your breaking heart We know you gave your all Rest easy, youve done your part Youve answered your last call - Chelle , New Mexico, United States, 02/7/2013 07:07 Click to rate Report abuse Rest now my fallen brother Lay soft your suffering back Rest well and forever Your memory shall not lack Rest your tired hands Wipe clean your weary brow Rest with St. Florian Your spirit now endowed Rest here your breaking heart We know you gave your all Rest easy, youve done your part Youve answered your last call - Chelle , New Mexico, United States, 02/7/2013 07:07 Click to rate Report abuse Horrible. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of these young men that died trying to save lives and lost theirs. RIP. - Jean , USA, 02/7/2013 07:03 Click to rate Report abuse No life is worth a house. I'd rather the fire spread and consume mine and my neighbors before one human life is lost. Even if the whole town had been lost the brave, brave young men who's families will forever miss them, there lives were / are more important than our material things. God Bless them, and all of their loved ones. - BeTrue , San Francisco, United States, 02/7/2013 06:57 Click to rate Report abuse Share this comment The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Find this story at www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pictures-Shocking-aerial-images-utter-devastation.html Rating 120 Rating 63 Rating 31 Rating 31 Rating 87
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group
37 of 37
7/2/2013 11:54 PM