This June, the Granite Mountain Hotshots Commemoration Team will host a public memorial in honor of the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who lost their lives fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire ten years ago, on June 30, 2013.
On June 30, 2013, a group of 19 brave firefighters lost their lives while battling the Yarnell Hill Fire, one of the deadliest wildfires in the history of Arizona. These men were members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, an elite crew of firefighters based in Prescott, Arizona. Since this tragedy, the heroes of the Granite Mountain Hotshots have been remembered and honored in many ways, including the creation of the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial Park and the Hotshots and Journey Hiking Trails. In this article, we will delve into the history of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, the events surrounding the Yarnell Hill Fire, and the various memorial sites and hiking trails that pay tribute to these heroes. Join us in remembering and honoring the brave Granite Mountain Hotshots of Prescott, Arizona.
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The Hot Shots
Yarnell Hill Fire
Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park
Hotshots Memorial State Park Trail Information
Below Article Shared from: firerescue1.com
The Hot Shots
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 crew was originally started in 2001 as a fuels mitigation crew, but transitioned to a hand crew (Type 2 I/A) in 2004, and ultimately to a hotshot crew in 2008. (Note: A hotshot crew is a nationally available, intensively trained 20-person hand crew focused primarily on handline construction.) Prescott Fire Department Station 7 housed the crew’s equipment and two 10-person crew carriers.
On June 30, 2013, 19 of the 20 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots were killed during the Yarnell Hill Fire. Brendan McDonough, who had separated from the crew earlier in the day, survived the incident.
The fallen firefighters:
- Andrew Ashcraft, 29
- Robert Caldwell, 23
- Travis Carter, 31
- Dustin DeFord, 24
- Christopher MacKenzie, 30
- Eric Marsh, 43
- Grant McKee, 21
- Sean Misner, 26
- Scott Norris, 28
- Wade Parker, 22
- John Percin Jr. 24
- Anthony Rose, 23
- Jesse Steed, 36
- Joe Thurston, 32
- Travis Turbyfill, 27
- William Warneke, 25
- Clayton Whitted, 28
- Kevin Woyjeck, 21
- Garret Zuppiger, 27
Learn more about each firefighter at the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park memorial site
Yarnell Hill Fire
Lightning ignited the Yarnell Hill Fire high on a ridge west of Yarnell, Arizona, on June 28, 2013. The fire fell under the jurisdiction of the Arizona State Forestry Division.
According to the Yarnell Hill Fire Serious Accident Investigation report, the Yarnell Hill area had not experienced wildfire in over 45 years. It was primed to burn because of extreme drought, decadent chaparral and above-average cured grass loadings.
On June 29, winds increased and the fire spotted outside containment lines. That evening, the Type 4 incident commander ordered a Type 2 Incident Management Team (IMT) and additional resources for the following morning. The fire grew overnight to approximately 300 to 500 acres.
Members of the Type 2 IMT began arriving early on June 30. The incoming Granite Mountain Hotshot superintendent accepted the role of Division Alpha supervisor, and the Type 2 IMT assumed command.
According to the Yarnell Hill Fire Serious Accident Investigation report, “For most of the day, the fire spread to the northeast, threatening structures in Model Creek and Peeples Valley. Around 1550, the wind shifted and the fire started pushing aggressively to the southeast, toward Yarnell. Fire resources shifted to resident evacuation and structure protection in town. Only the Granite Mountain IHC remained out on the ridge, on the southwest perimeter of the fire. Personnel who communicated with the Granite Mountain IHC knew the crew was in the black at that time and assumed they would stay there. No one realized that the crew left the black and headed southeast, sometime after 1604. At 1630, thunderstorm outflows reached the southern perimeter of the fire. Winds increased substantially; the fire turned south and overran the Granite Mountain IHC at about 1642.”
The report explains that there is a gap of over 30 minutes in the information available for the Granite Mountain IHC. 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 crew’s 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. Thunderstorm outflows changed the intensity and direction of fire spread, and the rapidly advancing fire eliminated the crew’s options of reaching the safety zone or returning to the canyon rim. They had less than two minutes to improve a deployment site. They were deploying fire shelters when the fire overtook them. Temperatures exceeded 2,000 degrees F, and the deployment site was not survivable. The 19 crewmembers were found approximately one mile south-southeast of their last known location, approximately 600 yards west of the Ranch.”
Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park
Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park was dedicated in 2016 as a place to remember the 19 fallen members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots.
The State Park website details the formation of the Park. On June 30, 2015 – 2 years after the deaths of the hotshots – Arizona State Parks purchased the 320-acre plot of land that was the site of the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire. The park was officially named “Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park” – Arizona’s first memorial state park.
The Park features a main trail that leads to an Observation Deck that overlooks the site where the firefighters perished. Nineteen steel gabion baskets encircle the Fatality Site area to protect and preserve the area for future visitors. Chains connect each gabion basket, a symbol of the connection and teamwork of the hotshots. A circular trail provides access around the baskets and the four memorial benches.
The park opened to the public on Nov. 30, 2016.
The Park website reads: “We invite you to hike the trail to better understand the experience of these men as well as to appreciate the beauty of the town of Yarnell and the surrounding areas. 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. Or continue your hike down the Memorial Trail, where you can pay your respects at the site where the Hotshots were recovered. The hike is approximately 3.5 miles long from the trailhead to the Fatality Site, for a full length of about 7 miles.”
Additionally, the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Learning and Tribute Center opened in 2018. The center is described on its site as a “one-of-a kind wildland fire learning center that honors the legacy of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew by educating, inspiring, and motivating visitors to adopt behaviors that prevent wildland fires, resulting in fewer fire-related fatalities.”
More information on upcoming service on June 30th, 2023
Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Information
The Hotshots Trail
The Hotshots Trail takes you through the Weaver Mountains and includes a 1,200 ft. elevation gain with a 5-8 percent grade. As you make your way, you will encounter 200+ stairs carved from the surrounding rock, interpretive signs, benches and 19 memorial plaques.
From the trailhead, the 2.85-mile path will lead you up to the observation deck. Every 600 feet, 19 granite plaques set into rocks share a photo and a story of each fallen Hotshot. Four interpretive signs paired with memorial benches provides information about wildland firefighting.
Once you reach the observation deck, you can see the Fatality Site 400’ below and the Town of Yarnell to the east. Additional interpretive signs here, outline the tragic events of the Yarnell Hill Fire. A Tribute Wall at the Observation Deck is available to leave stickers, patches and other mementos in honor of the sacrifice the Granite Mountain Hotshots made to protect our community.
Once at the observation deck, the 3/4-mile Journey Trail allows you to follow the last steps of the Hotshots down to the Fatality Site where they made their last stand. Encircling the Fatality Site, 19 gabion baskets, one for each Hotshot, are united by chains representing their eternal team. A short path surrounds the gabions and the nearby memorial flagpole. Please, take a moment to pay your respects, but remain outside of the gabion enclosure out of respect for the Hotshots and their families.
Journey Trail
Once at the observation deck, the 3/4-mile Journey Trail allows you to follow the last steps of the Hotshots down to the Fatality Site where they made their last stand. Encircling the Fatality Site, 19 gabion baskets, one for each Hotshot, are united by chains representing their eternal team. A short path surrounds the gabions and the nearby memorial flagpole. Please, take a moment to pay your respects, but remain outside of the gabion enclosure out of respect for the Hotshots and their families.
Quick Tips
This one-way trail is seven miles round-trip; you must hike up and back to the parking area. Please dress appropriately, bring adequate water and food and plan for a four hour plus round-trip hike. There is no access to drinking water along the trail. Those making the seven-mile hike should begin before 12 p.m. and carry a flashlight in the event that hiking out after dark becomes necessary. The hike back to the trailhead will take about two hours. Please plan accordingly.
2023 is the 10-year mark of the loss of the brave 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who perished in the Yarnell Hill Fire approaches on June 30. If you choose to honor their memory by hiking at the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park, please do so safely. The memorial trail is 7 miles round trip (out and back–this trail is not a loop) and contains steep terrain. There is minimal shade on the hike and we recommend starting early before the heat of the day. You may leave behind mementos of your hike at the Tribute Wall, located at the end of the Hotshots Trail. Please do not leave objects in the gabion baskets at the Fatality Site.
For those wishing to visit but not hike, the same memorial plaques honoring each of the fallen men found along the memorial trail are also displayed at the trailhead. For safety reasons, please do not park alongside the road. Parking is limited at the trailhead but a shuttle will be running on June 30 every half hour from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from the Yarnell Fire Department. More information about hiking the memorial trail is available at AZStateParks.com/ hotshots (link in bio).
Please note there will be no memorial event at the park. A memorial is being held in the city of Prescott, organized by a cooperative group of agencies on the Granite Mountain Hotshots Commemoration Team.
Please pack in and pack out any trash. Leashed dogs are welcome on the trail and owners must pick up after them.
Trailhead Parking Information
The park entrance is located two miles south of Yarnell on Highway 89 (White Spar). Park rangers are available at the trailhead with maps and information and temporary portable restrooms are also available. There are no trash facilities, so please pack out your trash.
Parking is limited in the trailhead lot. Only 12 spots are currently available, with an additional four motorcycle spots.
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