Those Lost Firefighters

Those Lost Firefighters

"We have a responsibility to those lost and their loved ones, as well as to current and future wildland firefighters, to understand what happened as completely as possible."
Arizona State Forester Scott Hunt

Almost 600 firefighters are engaged in fighting the mountain blaze in Arizona. Approximately 12 square miles have been burned. About 50 homes consumed, and another 250 in danger of burning. Most of the town of Yarnell, where the fire is raging, has been evacuated. There are Hotshot teams comprised of 20 professional firefighters present, from across the United States. It is said now to be 80% contained.

They all paused in memory of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, the 19 young men who died because they were unable, through a horrible confluence of drought, heat, wind and fire, to save themselves from a gruesomely dreadful death. They were the only Hotshots in all of the U.S. who were attached to a local fire station. And it was their station, in their town, that they were called to respond to where the fire was raging.



And because this was all so familiar to them, so dear to them, it is thought that perhaps they let their guard down. Attempting to protect a community they loved because it was their community, they took too many risks. Perhaps. "They don't want to see a community burn down. They want to get in there", explained Dick Mangan, retired US. Forest Service safety official.

One of their members, 21-year-old Brendan Donough, had been atop a hill, as team lookout. The only one of the team to survive the catastrophe. Physically, that is. "He did exactly what he was supposed to do. He's trying to deal with the same things that we're all trying to deal with, but you can understand how that's compounded being there on the scene", said a fire spokesman.

Brendan McDonough, the lookout on that fateful day of hellish fire and brimstone, warned his team who were also his friends, that the wildfire was switching directions, headed straight for them.

Over three thousand people assembled at a high-school football stadium in nearby Prescott for a public memorial service for the 19 men of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. "One of the things that defines the entire wildland firefighting community is we don't forget. We will remember this one. It's tough", said Jim Whittington, for Southwest Incident Command Team, his voice shaking.