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Granite Mountain Hotshot co-founder Darrell Willis describes 19-member crew’s last stand on Yarnell Hill

July 24, 2013 By John Dougherty 13 Comments

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A Granite Mountain Hotshot t-shirt is draped over a cactus. The shelter deployment site is behind. The crew descended into the box canyon from the saddle on the ridge.

A Granite Mountain Hotshot t-shirt is draped over a cactus. The shelter deployment site is behind. The crew descended into the box canyon from the saddle on the ridge.

By John Dougherty

Yarnell, AZ — Prescott Wildland Division Chief Darrell Willis on Tuesday described what he believes happened on June 30 when the Granite Mountain Hotshot crew made a last ditch stand in a box canyon against a wind tunnel of fire.

He gave his version of the tragic events to “embedded”  reporters, photographers and videographers who were allowed access to the site in an escorted tour led by the Arizona State Forestry Division. The event attracted the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Outside Magazine.

Reporters were asked not to photograph a nearby ranch compound that has the closest undamaged structures to where the Granite Mountain Hotshots died of a combination of burns, smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning just 500 yards away.

American and Arizona flags flapped in the wind from a 20-foot flagpole that marks the firefighters’ shelter deployment site and is visible from State Route 89 cutting through the heart of this played out gold mining town. That’s how close the crew was to safety.

Willis, who helped establish the nation’s only municipal hotshot crew in 2008 with Eric Marsh, the 43-year-old crew superintendent who died in the fire, provided a 15-minute description of what he believed to be the team’s final moments. Willis was not at the location at the time of the burn-over, but said he was working with fire teams to the north.

(The video below is Part I of two videos of Willis’ comments. The second video where Willis’ responds to media questions is posted further down in the story.)

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Current Investigations, Video, Yarnell Hill Fire

State releases Yarnell Hill Fire Summary showing weather information received by “Division Supervisors”

July 15, 2013 By John Dougherty Leave a Comment

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Here’s the state’s release.

 

Filed Under: Current Investigations, Yarnell Hill Fire

Honor guard leads procession of the fallen 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots

July 7, 2013 By John Dougherty Leave a Comment

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An honor guard procession carrying the bodies of 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots passed through the towns of Yarnell and Peeples Valley shortly after 3 p.m. today on their way to Prescott. This video was shot from the north end of Peeples Valley, from atop a rock outcropping along SR 89. Yarnell is perched high in the hills in the background.

The first of 19 hearses carrying the bodies of the Granite Mountain Hotshots passes through Peeples Valley, AZ.

The first of 19 hearses carrying the bodies of the Granite Mountain Hotshots passes through Peeples Valley, AZ.

Filed Under: Featured, Yarnell Hill Fire Tagged With: Granite Mountain Hotshots, Peeples Valley

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