Steed protested, saying such a move would be dangerous. Most of the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew, only one of whom survived the blaze, were in their 20s. No one knows why the hotshots decided to leave the safety of a black area and descend into the canyon, and the film doesn't try to guess. "Three guys washed out," says McDonough, who was in his third season with the crew when the tragedy happened. Brave is spare, clear, direct storytellingand the tightly bounded Reporting from Phoenix Brendan McDonough survived one of the deadliest wildfires in U.S. history, an inferno near Yarnell, Ariz., that killed 19 of his fellow Granite Mountain Hotshots on. complained that she was being denied benefits; soon others did so, too. I probably would have continued doing drugs, I probably would have ended up in prison or with an overdose - or dead. In a fierce, monsoon-like thunderstorm, the winds had changed direction on the firefighters. passionate marriage with Amanda (Jennifer Connelly), a horse trainer, "The hotshot crew was the best thing that ever happened to me," says the real Brendan McDonough. Those killed include Andrew Ashcraft, 29; Anthony Rose, 23; Christopher MacKenzie, 30; Clayton Whitted, 28; Dustin DeFord, 24; Garret Zuppiger, 27; Grant McKee, 21; Jesse Steed, 36; Joe Thurston, 32; John Percin Jr., 24; Kevin Woyjeck, 21; Eric Marsh, 43; Robert Caldwell, 23; Scott Norris, 28; Sean Misner, 26; Travis Carter, 31; Travis Turbyfill, 27; Wade Parker, 22; and William "Billy" Warneke, 25. The fire too intense and moving too quickly for their shelters to protect them. These are the stories of the Granite Mountain Hotshots who died Sunday, June 30, 2013, while fighting a fire near Yarnell, Ariz. All but one crew member died in the wildfire south of Prescott after a change in wind direction pushed the flames back toward their position. I wrote here last week about the exclusions, the prejudices, the blinkered points of view that surges to the surface of the action only very late in the film, when the Hotshot crews receive top-notch training, adhere to high physical standards, and have the ability to take on difficult assignments. The magnitude of the loss prompted countless discussions and questions about whether this tragedy could have been prevented how, by whom? Hike the Hotshots Trail from the parking lot trailhead up to the overlook where you'll see sweeping views in every direction, and perhaps leave a memento on our remembrance wall. It was primed to burn because of extreme drought, decadent chaparral and above-average cured grass loadings. Their eyewitness account sheds new light on what happened in those early hours. All but one of the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew members died on June 30, 2013, while fighting the lightning-caused Yarnell Hill Fire. In a statement, Gov. The Arizona State Forestry Division released the Serious Accident Investigation report of the Yarnell Hill Fire fatalities on Sept. 28, 2013. On the day of the tragedy, the fire had spread rapidly from 300 acres to over 2,000 acres. When some of the widows sought the benefits And for some reason they left." The video shows the Granite Mountain Hotshots observing the fire from the safety of a ridge before they descended into a much more hazardous area. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 FAQS Clear - All Rights Reserved But their home, with its metal roof and stucco walls, was unscathed. Since that time, shelters have saved the lives of more than 300 firefighters and have prevented hundreds of serious injuries. Where is the Granite Mountain Hotshots juniper tree? View all posts by Bill Gabbert. Being in the "black" means that you're in an area that the fire has already burned. mothers house. . Brave, released last Friday, is among the more noteworthy recent How the story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots reached millions, Through the televised memorial service, books and big screen dramatization, countless Americans discovered the story of 19 fallen firefighters. (It The fire too intense and moving too quickly for their shelters to protect them. . The full 122-page report can be found here. Some of the more vocal widows became the target of stinging criticism; in online forums and letters to the editors, people called them greedy, disgusting or worse. A hotshot crew consists of 20 specially-trained firefighters. The 19 crewmembers were found approximately one mile south-southeast of their last known location, approximately 600 yards west of the Ranch.. The tragedy all but wiped out the 20-member Granite Mountain Hotshots, a unit based at Prescott, authorities said Monday as the last of the bodies were retrieved from the mountain in the town of . Moments later he radioed back with a more serious message: We . Unlike Miles Tellers character in the movie, we found no evidence that the real Brendan McDonough was bitten by a rattlesnake and spent time in the hospital recovering. The crew died as they were overrun by flames in a box canyon. Juliann Ashcraft decided to leave Prescott altogether to spare her four children the discomfort of whispers and glares. Carefully researched, fact checked and documented independent investigations should a be made. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. As a municipal company, the The Helms never saw the Granite Mountain Hotshots on the day they died andnever knew thecrew was working nearby. -The Weather Channel. of ordinary family life that contrasts with Erics own. The result was radio transmissions that were at times broken and filled with static. Can a firefighter survive a flashover? Burnover is one of the most terrifying terms a firefighter can utter. watched the movie, I felt that something was missing (including the Learn more about the Granite Mountain Hotshots statue. The Granite Mountain Hotshots, also known as the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew, was a tight-knit team of wildland firefighters within the Prescott (Arizona) Fire Department. The tail credits state the names of the other Two DC-10 air tankers at Mesa Gateway airport in Phoenix fighting the Doce Fire, 6-18-2013. life at large, or even into the life that surrounds them in their own Here are the stories of those who died: "This is a Hollywood movie. Those words, documented in transcripts newly released by state forestry officials, marked what is believed to be the final transmission from the 19 "hotshot" crew members killed in the June 30 disaster, the greatest loss of life from a U.S. wildfire in 80 years. The Granite Mountain Hotshots, also known as the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew, was a tight-knit team of wildland firefighters within the Prescott (Arizona) Fire Department. Nobody wants them to suffer anymore. "Only the brave enjoy noble and glorious deaths," reads the quote, which foreshadows the fates of the firefighters in the movie. But the Helms hadn't set out to create defensible space. 21-year-old Brendan McDonough (nicknamed "Donut" and played by Miles Teller in the movie) had been serving as a fire and weather lookout when the fire encroached on his position and threatened to overtake it. Hotshots These handcrews can really take the heat! The hike is approximately 3.5 miles long from the trailhead to the Fatality Site, for a full length of about 7 miles.. psychological specificity, seals the movie off from the fuller range of Burnover often results in personal injury or equipment damage. The Yarnell Hill Fire was a wildfire near Yarnell, Arizona, ignited by lightning on June 28, 2013. What actually killed the Granite Mountain Hotshots? However, as with the Yarnell Hill Fire, the lightning still reaches the ground and sparks the dry tinder. We didn't really learn anything new. finds relevant news, identifies important training information, This may be called Tools or use an icon like the cog. The investigation team was unable to verify communications from the crew from 1604 until 1637 and, therefore, there is much that cannot be known about the crews decisions and actions prior to their entrapment and fire shelter deployment at around 1642., The summary continues: It is known that the Granite Mountain IHC left the black sometime after 1604 and traveled through an unburned area toward a safety zone at the Boulder Springs Ranch. telling residents and municipal workers that taxes might need to go up Instead, Devendorf said, the crew is fulfilling the original mission Prescott had when it started a wildland division. To wit, if there is honestly a need for a [p]ossible explanation as to why Granite Mountain Hotshots left safety zone, dont we ALREADY have the only explanation that matters? Brendan is first seen as a young "But there was no plan to move people out of the way." The decision by the team to leave the safe area is the direct cause of their deaths. So, technically, a hotshot is still worth it. Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park was dedicated in 2016 as a placeto remember the 19 fallen members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. The service requires full cookie support in order to view this website. Or continue your hike down the Memorial Trail, where you can pay your respects at the site where the Hotshots were recovered. Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo later confirmed that all 19 were from the Granite Mountain Hotshots. Normal municipal firefighters put out fires with water, which often includes things like building fires and house fires. But they didnt. the wildland community has needs just like the families. That task was shouldered by former Deputy Fire Chief Darrell Willis, who is not represented in the movie. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. By John Dougherty. The crew died as they were overrun by flames in a box canyon. The largest remaining question about the Yarnell Hill Fire that killed 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshot crew in 2013 south of Prescott, Arizona, is why the crew left the safety of a previously burned area and hiked through unburned brush where they were overrun by the fire. It occurs when a wildfire prevents escape and those trapped in it have no choice but to hide under emergency fire shelters. Key evidence that could explain why the Granite Mountain Hotshots moved from a safe location into a treacherous box canyon where 19 men died on June 30, 2013, was in the Office of the Maricopa . It's the most comprehensive and trusted online destination for fire service professionals worldwide. Hotshot can also be used as an adjective to describe such a person. Brendan McDonough wrote a first-person account of the Yarnell Hill Fire in his memoir My Lost Brothers, which was re-titled Granite Mountain. Far into the night, the Helms could hear the bulldozer grinding, carving a road to where the firefighters died. Please respect them, and all of us in their extended firefighting family, in your words and deeds. Only one member of the. On June 30, 2013, 19 of the 20 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots were killed during the Yarnell Hill Fire. She had loved horses since childhood and Eric was gifted with horses too. However, their main complaint wasn't that what was shown was inaccurate, but rather that the film failed to tell the whole story, specifically how other families handled the tragedy. She traveled to other ranches working on horses, making house calls. Did Brendan McDonough get bit by a rattlesnake? couples stifled conflicts burst forth with some trenchant writing Brendan McDonough, who had separated from the crew earlier in the day, survived the incident. Brendan McDonough, who had separated from the crew earlier in the day, survived the incident. 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