Lone peak hot shots plus#

The report explains that there is a gap of over 30 minutes in the information available for the Granite Mountain IHC. Winds increased substantially the fire turned south and overran the Granite Mountain IHC at about 1642.” At 1630, thunderstorm outflows reached the southern perimeter of the fire. No one realized that the crew left the black and headed southeast, sometime after 1604. Personnel who communicated with the Granite Mountain IHC knew the crew was in the black at that time and assumed they would stay there.

Only the Granite Mountain IHC remained out on the ridge, on the southwest perimeter of the fire. Fire resources shifted to resident evacuation and structure protection in town. Around 1550, the wind shifted and the fire started pushing aggressively to the southeast, toward Yarnell. The incoming Granite Mountain Hotshot superintendent accepted the role of Division Alpha supervisor, and the Type 2 IMT assumed command.Īccording to the Yarnell Hill Fire Serious Accident Investigation report, “For most of the day, the fire spread to the northeast, threatening structures in Model Creek and Peeples Valley. Members of the Type 2 IMT began arriving early on June 30. The fire grew overnight to approximately 300 to 500 acres. That evening, the Type 4 incident commander ordered a Type 2 Incident Management Team (IMT) and additional resources for the following morning. On June 29, winds increased and the fire spotted outside containment lines. It was primed to burn because of extreme drought, decadent chaparral and above-average cured grass loadings. The fire fell under the jurisdiction of the Arizona State Forestry Division.Īccording to the Yarnell Hill Fire Serious Accident Investigation report, the Yarnell Hill area had not experienced wildfire in over 45 years. Lightning ignited the Yarnell Hill Fire high on a ridge west of Yarnell, Arizona, on June 28, 2013. Learn more about each firefighter at the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park memorial site or CNN’s tribute to the fallen firefighters. Brendan McDonough, who had separated from the crew earlier in the day, survived the incident. On June 30, 2013, 19 of the 20 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots were killed during the Yarnell Hill Fire.

The crew was originally started in 2002 as a fuels mitigation crew, but transitioned to a hand crew (Type 2 I/A) in 2004, and ultimately to a hotshot crew in 2008. ( Note: A hotshot crew is a nationally available, intensively trained 20-person hand crew focused primarily on handline construction.) Prescott Fire Department Station 7 housed the crew’s equipment and two 10-person crew carriers. The Granite Mountain Hotshots, also known as the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew, was a tight-knit team of wildland firefighters within the Prescott (Arizona) Fire Department. The Granite Mountain Hotshots was a tight-knit team of wildland firefighters within the Prescott (Arizona) Fire Department. In order to fully grasp the impact of the Yarnell Hill Fire and the devastation of the loss of the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots, let us start at the beginning – who they were, how this tragedy unfolded and how the community has honored the fallen. In the end, the wildland firefighting community continues to prioritize firefighter safety but has seen moderate, not sweeping, changes in operations. The incident forced vital discussions about wildland firefighting strategies and tactics, ultimately resulting in a comprehensive investigation report. The magnitude of the loss prompted countless discussions and questions about whether this tragedy could have been prevented – how, by whom?

Lone peak hot shots plus#

Fire service leaders, plus family and community members, shared their grief. The fire forever changed the physical landscape of the area, but also solidified the resilience of area residents and the wildland firefighting community. fire service since the September 11 terrorist attacks. The Yarnell Hill Fire that erupted through the mountain community of Yarnell, Arizona, claimed the lives of 19 firefighters in 2013, the greatest loss of life for the U.S. Seminal incidents can break or transform a community – even an entire industry.