![]() ![]() Temperatures exceeded 2000☏, and the deployment site was not survivable.” “The crew was deploying their fire shelters close together in a small area when the fire overtook them. The crew had less than two minutes to improve a shelter deployment site by using chain saws and burning out,” the report read. “The fire’s extreme speed of 10 to 12 miles per hour eliminated any opportunity for the crew to reach the safety zone or return up to the canyon rim. on June 30, the team left the ridge and was moving through an unburned area toward a safety zone at Boulder Springs Ranch. Of note, the Granite Mountain Hotshots were out on the ridge on the southeast perimeter of the fire. ![]() Later that year, a 122-page Yarnell Hill Fire Serious Accident Investigation Report was released with a timeline of events. “This is as dark a day as I can remember,” said then-Gov. In addition to the 19 hotshots who had been killed, over 20 people were hurt and 130 buildings had been damaged or destroyed. The fire was fully contained after nearly two weeks on July 10. Aftermathīy July 1, the Yarnell Hill Fire had grown to nearly 8,500 acres, leading to the evacuations of hundreds of people in Yarnell and Peeples Valley. The lone survivor of the crew is Brenden McDonough, who was separated from the group earlier in the day to act as a fire lookout. At 6:35 p.m., medics in a DPS helicopter confirmed that all 19 men had died: An immeasurable lossĪfter contact with the Granite Mountain Hotshots was lost, a search by air began. It would be the crew’s last communication. By 4:30 p.m., the storm changed the wildfire’s direction and speed, which was now heading south.Īt 4:22 p.m., firefighters in the Yarnell area were forced to fall back as the wildfire reached the eastern edge of the canyon the Granite Mountain Hotshots were crossing. Weather records show that over the next hour and a half, gusts increased to 44 mph. Wind gusts increased from 16 miles per hour to 22 miles per hour. on Sunday, June 30, the temperature was 100 degrees and thunderstorms were moving into the area. ![]() A 15-mile stretch of State Route 89 was also closed as the wildfire exploded in size.Īround 2:30 p.m. Strong winds continued to fuel the fire that would grow to consume thousands of acres. The fire was very small at first, but those factors and weather conditions caused it to grow quickly beginning on the afternoon of June 29, expanding from 50 to 500 acres over the course of the night into Sunday. The area had been plagued by drought for months with vegetation that hadn’t burned in over 40 years. On the evening of Friday, June 28, 2013, lightning struck the Weaver Mountains west of Yarnell. (Courtesy: Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshots) The Yarnell Hill Fire Nineteen of the 20-man Granite Mountain Hotshots were killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire on June 30, 2013. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |