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Fire in Yarnell

3K views 31 replies 20 participants last post by  happy_ending 
#1 ·
#3 ·
Thus far it seems they got separated, lost radio contact with their command center, became surrounded by the fire, were seen by a helicopter, but others were unable to reach them.

This from CBS 5
Updates every 10-15 minutes ... Fire is currently at +2000 acres, and 250 homes lost.
 
#20 ·
brutally rough time for the towns of prescott, pv & chino as well as the wildland fire community here in az and across the west. as an alumni of the mormon lake hotshots (who lost 3 in '76 on the battlement creek fire on the western slope) it is both gut-wrenching and bewildering that this happened... really hard to accept.

several dads (3 with expecting wives, i believe), husbands and 19 sons. the company i now work for is out of chino and seemingly everyone in the town has close ties to at least a few of these guys. one of our superintendents coached one of the guys in football and baseball since he was old enough to play sports... just absolutely gut-wrenching.

couple of things...



be very dubious, at best, of reports from mass media on the specifics of this incident. the forthcoming investigation will hammer out what went wrong but no one on that incident management team or investigation team is going to tell a CBS reporter any specifics until the investigation is done (they should be tight lipped anyhow). the facts will all eventually get out there but specifics right now will be via the rumor mill.

These guys are the best of the best and if they got caught likely any crew in the the same situation would've been lost as well. So you know it was bad.
this isnt the time nor the place to discuss in-depth, as the facts wont be out for awhile, but this is 100% untrue. ill be brief... the mistakes made will be poured over for years (decades) but the unfortunate facts are that major mistakes were made and compounded brutally by the weather. it is terribly wrong to assume that any crew in that situation would have made similar mistakes. this is why i mentioned that it is really, really hard to accept... doesnt make sense.
 
#4 ·
Half of my cousins crew. Hes heading down with the rest from Prescott now. My mom lives in Yarnell on the east side of the road. Theyve been given mandatory evac notices and are waiting/packing. Her old house was in the southwest section of town and most of that area is said to be gone. Its moving west and north. Might be little to nothing left of the town when all is said and done. Blue Ridge hotshots were the ones that went in to find the Granite boys.
 
#6 ·
I saw this on the news and it is soooo terrible. I really look up to those that work the forest fires (other FF too, but these folks more) because I see them as not only saving homes, but trail and ride areas. I tell ya what, I am not looking forward to working at Yavapai Medical tomorrow.
 
#11 ·
CNN weatherman reported that monsoon-like conditions sprung up above Yarnell. The rains began to fall in the atmosphere causing the winds to accelerate downward and outward. 50-70 MPH winds overwhelmed the Hotshot crew.

RIP guys. God Bless.
 
#12 ·
happened to be out with wife looking at the Doce fire origin area, Skull Valley loop and back on White Spar Rd. We could tell from a distance that Yarnell was probably in the path. Air support traffic was very busy flying over our house and we could sense something was going bad.....fire, microburst winds, and 19 fine young local brave men, fathers, and sons were lost. Prescott area is in shock and it will be a very sad week around here this week and beyond.
 
#14 · (Edited)
This is a terrible tragedy.

Fires will continue to happen and firefighter lives will always be at risk. The best we can do is minimize that risk the best we can. Obey fire restrictions and tell other to do so as well. This is serious stuff - lives, homes and acres of beautiful forest can be lost.

I have seen people breaking the law in the past, and to be honest I didn't say anything in the past. Even something like a discharging a weapon can start a fire and is forbidden at certain times. The risk for fire is extremely high right now.

Anyone starting a fire or throwing a cigarette bud in a fire restricted area should be officially slapped.
 
#17 ·
Anyone starting a fire or throwing a cigarette bud in a fire restricted area should be officially slapped.
It was a lightning strike.

Sad day indeed. I spent all of yesterday glued to 92.3 hoping to learn more but there's not much info yet. These guys are the best of the best and if they got caught likely any crew in the the same situation would've been lost as well. So you know it was bad.
 
#31 ·
Guys, with all due respect can we at least give these men what they deserve by honoring their service and setting aside disagreements. Granite mountain hotshots were some of the finest, hard working guys I have ever met. I knew several of them on a personal level. I have worked with them on fires and they were skilled, trained, and proficient in what they did. They were upstanding men, husbands, and dads. They meant so much to not only their friends and families, but to the city of Prescott and national fire community as well. We love and miss you guys, may you rest in peace, you will never be forgotten.
 
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