11 Years Later: Remembering the Granite Mountain Hotshots
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Sunday marks 11 years since the Granite Mountain Hotshots were killed while fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire. Nineteen men sadly lost their lives, making it the sixth deadliest firefighter disaster in history.
A Remembrance Event was held at the Yarnell Hill Fire Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon.
Dozens of people from the Yarnell and Peeples Valley communities joined the ceremony, which started with a prayer led by Pastor Paul Jones.
Lewis and Marcie Theokas read the names of the 19 hotshots around 4:40 p.m., which is the approximate time when the crew last made contact. They rang a bell after each name, followed by a moment of silence.
The Theokas also read their grandson’s name, Garret Zuppiger.
“He was 27. He’d be 38 now, and probably have children. We’d have great grandchildren, but it’s not meant to be,” said Lewis and Marcie.
Peeples Valley Fire District Chief Shawn Bomar was in attendance.
Bomar said, ”It has been 11 years, and we’ll never forget. And every day, we’ll think about it.”
He added that the crew did not die in vain. “Let’s not forget, they did fight fire when they were here before they died. They got a lot of work done for us and helped our communities,” said Bomar.
They saved lives and left behind a legacy.
“They gave us somebody to look up to, that we can strive to be like. Their motto ‘Esse quam videri’, which means to be rather than seem to be,” said Lewis.
There were a total of 20 Granite Mountain Hotshots. Brendan McDonough was the sole survivor. To hear his journey of healing, click here.
The city of Prescott dedicated a new memorial at the Yavapai County Courthouse to honor the memory of the fallen firefighters.
The ceremony was at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, and speakers included Prescott Mayor Phil Goode, Prescott Fire Chief Holger Durre and other city leaders.
The memorial has been in the works for over 10 years, but their memory will live forever through the memorial statue.
To cap off the ceremony, the courthouse bells will ring 19 times at approximately 4:42 in honor of the fallen heroes.
The Fallen Heroes
- Andrew Ashcraft, 29
- Robert Caldwell, 23
- Travis Carter, 31
- Dustin DeFord, 24
- Christopher MacKenzie, 30
- Eric Marsh, 43
- Grant McKee, 21
- Sean Misner, 26
- Scott Norris, 28
- Wade Parker, 22
- John Percin, Jr., 24
- Anthony Rose, 23
- Jesse Steed, 36
- Joe Thurston, 32
- Travis Turbyfill, 27
- William Warneke, 25
- Clayton Whitted, 28
- Kevin Woyjeck, 21
- Garret Zuppiger, 27
Only one hotshot survived that day. The lone survivor is Brenden McDonough, who was separated from the group earlier in the day to act as a fire lookout. Read more about each hotshot here.
Yarnell Hill Fire
On Friday, June 28, 2013, lightning struck the Weaver Mountains west of Yarnell. The lightning ignited flames on drought-stricken land, which grew to a small fire at first. Within a day, the fire exploded as it grew from 50 to 500 acres.
Then, on Sunday, June 30, 2013, temperatures reached 100 degrees, and strong winds pushed the flames further. The Granite Mountain Hotshots were crossing the eastern edge of a canyon when the fire expanded into the area. Sadly, the hotshots lost communication shortly afterward, and all men lost their lives.
By July 1, the blaze reached nearly 8,500 acres, forcing hundreds of evacuations. It took two weeks for emergency crews to gain full control of the fire. In addition to the 19 hotshots who died, over 20 people were hurt and 130 buildings were damaged or destroyed.
Granite Mountain Hotshots Legacy
The hotshots legacies have lived on across Arizona. In 2016, the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park opened near SR 89.
Three years later, a nonprofit opened the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew Learning and Tribute Center, which is dedicated to telling the hotshots’ stories and educate visitors about wildland fires.
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