#LODD 19 Arizona Wildland Firefighters Killed In The Line Of Duty [Prescott Granite Mountain Hot Shots] #AzFire #RIP

Texted photo shows Granite Mountain Hotshot crew before they died. Source: - The Denver Post 

Update: In this photo shot by firefighter Andrew Ashcraft, members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots watch a growing wildfire that later swept over and killed the crew of 19 firefighters near Yarnell, Ariz., Sunday, June 30, 2013. Ashcraft texted the photo to his wife, Juliann, but died later that day battling the out-of-control blaze. The 29-year-old father of four added the message, "This is my lunch spot...too bad lunch was an MRE." ((AP Photo/Courtesy of Juliann Ashcraft))

Prescott Granite Mountain Hot Shots. 

With shock and regret that we advise you that 19 Firefighters have died in the Line of Duty.
OUR HEROES LOST:
Ashcraft, Andrew - Age: 29
Caldwell, Robert - Age: 23
Carter, Travis - Age: 31
Deford, Dustin - Age: 24
MacKenzie, Christopher - Age: 30
Marsh, Eric - Age: 43
McKee, Grant - Age: 21
Misner, Sean - Age: 26
Norris, Scott - Age: 28
Parker, Wade - Age: 22
Percin, John - Age: 24
Rose, Anthony - Age: 23
Steed, Jesse - Age: 36
Thurston, Joe - Age: 32
Turbyfill, Travis - Age: 27
Warneke, William - Age: 25
Whitted, Clayton - Age: 28
Woyjeck, Kevin - Age: 21
Zuppiger, Garret - Age: 27

UPDATE: #YarnellHillFire 19 Firefighters including 18 Granite Mountain HotShots Killed, 250 homes reported lost, "Half of town leveled" 1300+ acres. #AzFire

Prescott Fire Department has confirmed 19 firefighters have died while battling the Yarnell Hill fire Sunday night
They're part of the Prescott Granite Mountain Hot Shots. http://www.cityofprescott.net/services/fire/hotshots/

#YarnellHillFire second worst loss of firefighters in American #wildlandfire history. #NeverForget - #HonortheFallen. #RIP

The Yarnell Hill fire, about 35 miles southwest of Prescott, has burned about 1,300 acres and forced the evacuation of 50 homes. 

The fire started Friday and has not yet burned down any structures, but Sunday night firefighters pushed the blaze back away from communities, hoping to keep the blaze from overtaking any homes. 

Sunday night firefighters pushed the blaze back away from communities, hoping to keep the blaze from overtaking any homes.Interagency Hotshot Crews (IHC) are diverse teams of career and temporary agency employees who uphold a tradition of excellence and have solid reputations as multi-skilled professional firefighters. Crews are available for each fire season and are employed by the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, various Native American tribes, and the states of Alaska and Utah. Their physical fitness standards, training requirements, operation procedures are consistent nationwide, as outlined in the Standards for Interagency Hotshot Crew Operations.
The Granite Mountain Hotshots are local government, not your typical federal hotshots. They are a unit made up of career firefighters and seasonal members of the City of Prescott Fire Department. The Chief in Prescott, Dan Fraijo, who was appointed Chief earlier this year, began his career with the Phoenix FD years ago and worked his way through the ranks up to division chief. 

Chief Fraijo said one member of the crew had survived because the firefighter was not with the other members when they were caught in the fire, which was caused by lightning. 

The 19 firefighters were found in an area that also had 19 fire shelters* deployed. Some of the firefighters were inside their shelters, used as a last resort to withstand the fire if it overtakes them-as it did. 

Some of the crew members were found outside the shelters. Current details indicate that 18 of the firefighters killed were members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots team. It's unknown which fire crew the 19th firefighter belonged to. Earlier yesterday, the firefighters had not been heard from as the wildfire headed into town. Around 1800, command was unable to establish communications with them, although they had been seen from a helicopter

Their core values of "duty, integrity, and respect" have earned Hotshot crews an excellent reputation throughout the United States and Canada as elite teams of professional wildland firefighters.
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CFN - California Fire News 2013 

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