YARNELL, Ariz. — June 30 marks the annual remembrance of 19 men who lost their lives fighting one of the deadliest wildfires in history.
Members of a 20-man crew, called the Granite Mountain Hotshots, were on the frontlines of the Yarnell Hill Fire that was ignited by lightning two days earlier.
The fire spread quickly and erratically, and soon, the hotshots were overrun by the intense flames. Trapped, they deployed their fire shelters.
One man came back alive from the incident, Brendan McDonough who was 21 at the time.
The 19 men who died were:
- Joe Thurston, 32
- Travis Turbyfill, 27
- William Warneke, 25
- Clayton Whitted, 28
- Kevin Woyjeck, 21
- Garret Zuppiger, 27
- Sean Misner, 26
- Scott Norris, 28
- Wade Parker, 22
- John Percin, 24
- Anthony Rose, 23
- Jesse Steed, 36
- Andrew Ashcraft, 29
- Robert Caldwell, 23
- Travis Carter, 31
- Dustin Deford, 24
- Christopher MacKenzie, 30
- Eric Marsh, 43
- Grant McKee, 21
The fire burned about 8,400 acres of land.
