#NIFC Official 72-Hour Preliminary Report for the Yarnell Hill Fire fatalities. #AzFire #LODD #YarnellHillFire #ASFD

Friday, July 5, 2013

#NIFC Official 72-Hour Preliminary Report for the Yarnell Hill Fire fatalities. #AzFire #LODD #YarnellHillFire #ASFD

72-Hour Preliminary Report for the Yarnell Hill Fire fatalities

Subject: 72‐Hour Preliminary Report, Yarnell Hill Fire

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Location: Yarnell, AZ

Date and Time of Occurrence: Late Afternoon,June 30, 2013

Team Leader: Jim Karels

Mission: Wildfire Suppression

Number of Fatalities: 19

Narrative: The Yarnell Hill Fire started Friday,June 28, 2013, with a lightning strike on Arizona state land.

The Granite Mountain Hotshots, whose members are City of Prescott Fire Department personnel but operate under Arizona State Forestry Division (ASFD) jurisdiction, were dispatched to the fire.

An Arizona State Forestry Division Type 3 team was managing the fire.

Nineteen members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots were entrapped when flames overran their position on June 30.

Eye witnesses state that fire behavior was extreme with heavy winds. The crew of

19 deployed fire shelter slate Sunday afternoon but did not survive.

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office in Phoenix determined the firefighters died from burns and inhalation problems.

The 20th member of the crew was serving as lookout on a small ridge a short distance away and was able to retreat when the fire reached a predetermined trigger point.

An interagency Serious Accident Investigation Team is in place. The team received a Delegation of Authority from State Forester Scott Hunt. They are conducting interviews, collecting documentation and have performed a site review of the deployment site.

The intent of the investigation is to learn from the events leading up to this accident and to help prevent future occurrences.

JIM KARELS

Team Leader

Link to the Official 72-Hour Preliminary Report for the Yarnell Hill Fire fatalities. -

72 Hour Preliminary Report Yarnell Hill Fire.pdf

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CFN - California Fire News 2013

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

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CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Friday, July 5, 2013