Dec 16, 2015 the report states that there was lack of communication between granite mountain and fire supervisors in the 33 minutes leading up to their desperate call for help at about 4. Yarnell hill report website wildland fire lessons learned center the arizona state forestry division. The report will also be available on these hyperlinked sites. The true story of the yarnell hill fire outside online. Maricopa mass fatality yarnell me arizona department of. Expayson hotshot sues federal agency, says yarnell hill fire records are being concealed. Southbound sr 89 will be closed between mileposts 277 and 272. Dec 16, 2015 journalist john doughertys investigative media organization uncovers a strange wrinkle in the investigation of the 20 yarnell hill fire in which 19 granite mountain hotshot firefighters lost. The yarnell hill fire of june 20 caused the greatest loss of life on an organized wildland fire crew in over a century, dating back to the big burn of 1910. Journalist john doughertys investigative media organization uncovers a strange wrinkle in the investigation of the 20 yarnell hill fire in which 19 granite mountain hotshot firefighters lost. Now, as the investigation into what went wrong nears completion, popmech.
State forestry department officials draw on lessons learned from the fatal yarnell hill blaze to fight fires this season. And requests by the media to obtain the autopsy reports, which are typically public records. After years of delay, the granite mountain hotshot autopsy. The usda responded that it did not find any responsive records, the complaint states. The granite mountain crew started arriving at station 7 at 5. Report assigns no responsibility for 19 yarnell hill. Yarnell hill fire serious accident investigation report supporting documentation. The yarnell hill fire was a wildfire near yarnell, arizona, ignited by lightning on june 28, 20. A news conference about the report was livestreamed by at least two phoenix area television stations.
Expayson hotshot sues federal agency, says yarnell hill. According to the national fire protection association, it was the greatest loss of life for firefighters in a wildfire since 1933, the deadliest wildfire of any kind. Youtubethis video was captured on site of the yarnell hill fire in january 2014. Sep 18, 20 in late june, 19 firefighters from the granite mountain hotshots died while fighting the yarnell hill fire in arizona. Weather, communication led to loss of 19 hotshots we are in front of the flaming front was among the last communications with a. The high, and shifting, winds caused the yarnell hill fire to quickly change directions, pushing the. Yarnell hill fire yarnell 19 june 28, 20 fire starts due to lightning june 30, 20 granite mountain interagency hotshots arrive20 team members winds increased substantially and the fire shifted and overran their team at approximately 1642 search launched to look for them at approximately 1716 june 30, 20. Part 2 who do we continue to distinguish and read about as. Trail map granite mountain hotshots memorial state park. Oct 03, 20 afterward, the commander declined the offer at 5. In late june, 19 firefighters from the granite mountain hotshots died while fighting the yarnell hill fire in arizona. About 31% was on state land and less than 1% was on federal blm land. The report provided a detailed time frame of events from june 28, when lightning sparked a fire on yarnell hill, through the evening of june. Weather, communication led to loss of 19 hotshots we are in front of the flaming front was among the last communications with a firefighting team lost to the.
The fire has destroyed more than 100 homes and burned about square miles. Yarnell hill fire entrapment fatalities 20 wildland. Yarnell hill serious accident investigation report. Experts back yarnell fire report findings on air support. Yarnell hill serious accident investigation report documentcloud. The yarnell hill fire started friday, june 28, 20, with a lightning strike on arizona state land. Second yarnell investigation reaches damning and tragic.
A new twist in the death of granite mountain hotshots during. A new twist in the death of granite mountain hotshots. Fire fighter fatality investigation and prevention program. The yarnell hill fire burned in private lands and lands managed by the state of arizona.
A preliminary report on the investigation into the yarnell hill fire, which killed 19 firefighters last week, says flames entrapped the granite mountain hotshots. The two state investigations into the deaths of 19 members of the granite mountain hotshots released to the public in 20 did not include the complete autopsy and toxicology reports of the men who were killed on june 30, 20 in the yarnell hill fire. The participants spent the day walking the ground and discussing the challenges facing the wildland fire service as a whole. To inspire active participation in the world outside through awardwinning coverage of the sports, people, places, adventure, discoveries, health and fitness, gear and apparel, trends. Yarnell hill fire serious accident investigation report. Drivers should use caution and allow extra travel time. The report states that there was lack of communication between granite mountain and fire supervisors in the 33 minutes leading up to their desperate call for help at about 4. Jul 08, 20 a preliminary report on the investigation into the yarnell hill fire, which killed 19 firefighters last week, says flames entrapped the granite mountain hotshots.
Sep 29, 20 the arizona state forestry division released its serious accident investigation report of the yarnell hill fire that left 19 of the granite mountain hotshots firefighters dead. I currently work with john maclean on a book about the yarnell hill fire, and i think the bad apple points between mr. Cdc fire fighter fatality investigation and prevention. This blaze occurred on a rugged steep mountain range in heavy brush fuels, near the town of yarnell, arizona.
Investigativemedia has completed uploading the entire supporting documentation for the serious accident investigation report released by the arizona forestry division in response to an arizona public records law request. Hour preliminary report, yarnell hill fire the following information is preliminary and subject to change. Marsh are very interesting and relevant to the yarnell hill fire discussion. A former hotshot sues for radio calls that may explain the deaths of. Part 2 who do we continue to distinguish and read about. I want to share a recent quote with you from a hotshot aptain. The arizona state forestry division released its serious accident investigation report of the yarnell hill fire that left 19 of the granite mountain. Report assigns no responsibility for 19 yarnell hill firefighters deaths yarnell fire report points no fingers, leaves unanswered questions sept. In june 2016, schoeffler filed a foia request with the forest service, a division of the department of agriculture, requesting all yarnell hill fire airtoground voice recordings and written transcripts from 3 p. The land ownership of wildfires occurrences at a national level is similar to that of the yarnell hill fire. Information is provided with the intent to share knowledge to improve safety, performance, efficiency and organizational learning throughout the entire wildland fire community. Yarnell hill fire aftermath home wildland fire lessons.
I was on the band fire use module in 2000 and we lit the cerro grande fire. The firefighters had apparently deployed fire shelters, but not all of the bodies were found inside them. This is the 72 hour report for the yarnell hill fire. Sep 29, 20 official report on yarnell hill fire released investigators offer lessons on the june 20 fire and its aftermath, but avoid placing blame. On june 30, 20, 19 members of the 20man group died fighting the yarnell hill fire. Kpnxtv, phoenix, provides a timeline of events of what the yarnell hill fire, that killed 19 firefighters, has left behind. Yarnell hill briefing video the arizona state forestry division announced that a serious accident investigation report of the yarnell hill fire fatalities is complete. Shuttle service has resumed, running fridays, saturdays, and sundays, from 8 a. Jan 18, 2017 in june 2016, schoeffler filed a foia request with the forest service, a division of the department of agriculture, requesting all yarnell hill fire airtoground voice recordings and written transcripts from 3 p. Source document contributed to documentcloud by rob odell arizona republic.
Nineteen firefighters died on the yarnell hill fire in central arizona on june 30, 20. Yarnell hill fire entrapment fatalities 20 wildland fire. As they awaited the briefing, they sat in the ready room and talked about family and fires. Yarnell hill serious accident investigation report pdf. The fire broke out on june 28 in yarnell, arizona and escalated due to thunderstorms. A report by the arizona industrial commission found that the forestry division failed to remove firefighters even after it learned of troubling developments in the yarnell fire. Following the tragedy of the yarnell hill wildfire in june 20, the prescott fire department released last week the final investigation report of the incident. Official report on yarnell hill fire released investigators offer lessons on the june 20 fire and its aftermath, but avoid placing blame. Firefighter demands info on yarnell hill fire disaster. Lessons from yarnell hill aid current wildfirefighting efforts. Yarnell also killed more firefighters than any incident since the september 11 attacks. Yarnell also killed more firefighters than any incident since the september 11 attacks on 911. Granite mountain ihc entrapment and burnover investigation npstc. Oct 06, 20 the report provided a detailed time frame of events from june 28, when lightning sparked a fire on yarnell hill, through the evening of june 30, when a medic confirmed the 19 fatalities.
Yarnell hill fire report now available the arizona state forestry division has announced that the serious accident investigation report of the yarnell hill fire fatalities has been completed. We are recommending that members of the public visit arizona media outlets for coverage, information and opportunities to watch. The fire broke out on june 28 in yarnell, arizona and escalated due to thunderstorms and shifting winds over the course of two days. Key evidence in arizonas yarnell hill fire tragedy never provided to official investigators forensic news says. On june 30, it overran and killed 19 firefighters with the prescott fire departments granite mountain hotshots. Dec 05, 20 a report by the arizona industrial commission found that the forestry division failed to remove firefighters even after it learned of troubling developments in the yarnell fire. This map was made to illustrate the chain of events for a story in mens journal magazine, october 20 issue. Yarnell hill fire report timeline of events youtube. On the afternoon of june 30, 20, nineteen firefighters perished in a major fire blowup on the yarnell hill fire yh. Mst june29, based upon fire conditions, according to the serious accident investigative report on the yarnell hill fire released saturday.
As our fire season winds down, we will have more time to really think about and try to process what happened to granite mountain. Yarnell remained evacuated, but authorities hope to allow residents back in by saturday. Key evidence in arizonas yarnell hill fire tragedy never. Yarnell hill fire report now available department of forestry and. The yarnell hill fire is the deadliest incident for firefighters since 911 according to the nfpa an investigative report on the yarnell hill fire that killed 19 members of the. The yarnell hill fire is the sixthdeadliest american firefighter disaster in history, the deadliest wildfire ever in the state of arizona, and at least until 2014 was the mostpublicized event in wildland firefighting history. Sep 28, 20 air attacks photo of the yarnell hill fire at 7. Wildland fire llc honor the fallen video published on oct 23, 2018. The granite mountain hotshots, whose members are city of prescott fire department personnel but operateunder arizona state forestry division asfd jurisdiction, were dispatched to the fire. The official report is now available for download at several locations. Yavapai county records request 7914\sait report and documents go to the interview with chief darryl willis july 6, 20 above pdf jpeg image pp.
Yarnell hill fire aftermath by now, most of you have seen the yarnell hill fire investigation report and briefing video. Lessons from yarnell hill aid current wildfirefighting. The yarnell hill fire near yarnell, arizona, ignited by lightning on june 28, 20. Yarnell hill fire report now available department of. On june 30, 20, 19 firefighters from granite mountain hotshots crew were killed battling a wildfire near yarnell, arizona. The firefighters that were entrapped and burned over were from the granite mountain interagency hotshot crew gmihc. The loss of 19 members of the granite mountain interagency hotshot crew the 20th member survived because he was a lookout prompted two official investigations. That report was commissioned by the arizona state forestry division, the agency that oversaw the firefighting effort on yarnell hill. Oct 06, 20 kpnxtv, phoenix, provides a timeline of events of what the yarnell hill fire, that killed 19 firefighters, has left behind. The participants spent the day walking the ground and discussing the. Sait interview notes compiled from recollections of, and discussions between, the sait members who interviewed people involved with the yh fire.