Brewer Orders Flags at Half-Staff to Honor Firefighters
They died Sunday while fighting the Yarnell Fire, which may have destroyed as many as 250 homes.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has ordered flags statewide to be flown at half-staff from sunrise July 1 to sunset July 3 in tribute to 19 firefighters who died Sunday while battling the Yarnell Fire, a wildfire responders are still trying to contain.
"This weekend, our state lost nineteen of its bravest firefighters in the wake of the Yarnell Fire, near Prescott. This fire is the deadliest wildfire in state history and our nation's deadliest in 80 years. The fire has also claimed the lives of more first responders than any single disaster since 9/11," Brewer said in a statement posted by her office. "This day will be eternally etched in Arizona's memory. It will forever ring as one of our state's darkest, most devastating days. It will forever remind us of the constant peril our firefighters selflessly face protecting us. We can never repay these nineteen men and their families for their service and the ultimate sacrifice they made on our behalf. We can, however, offer them our deepest, eternal debt of gratitude.
"As details surrounding this tragedy unfold, I ask that you continue to keep these men, their families and all of our first responders in your prayers. Remember that, for them, no task is ever without threat or danger. That they go to work daily with that risk in mind makes them heroic."
The men who died were members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, based in Prescott. The Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona has created a website that is posting updates on the fire. It has listed their names and ages:
- Ashcraft, Andrew – Age: 29
- Caldwell, Robert – Age: 23
- Carter, Travis – Age: 31
- Deford, Dustin – Age: 24
- MacKenzie, Christopher – Age: 30
- Marsh, Eric – Age: 43
- McKee, Grant – Age: 21
- Misner, Sean – Age: 26
- Norris, Scott – Age: 28
- Parker, Wade – Age: 22
- Percin, John – Age: 24
- Rose, Anthony – Age: 23
- Steed, Jesse – Age: 36
- Thurston, Joe – Age: 32
- Turbyfill, Travis – Age: 27
- Warneke, William – Age: 25
- Whitted, Clayton – Age: 28
- Woyjeck, Kevin – Age: 21
- Zuppiger, Garret – Age: 27
IAFF reports the United Phoenix Fire Fighters Association and Prescott Fire Fighter's Charities have established a 501(c)3 relief fund to handle donations to benefit the families of these men. One hundred percent of tax-deductible donations will benefit the families, according to its report, which says individual or corporate donations can be made at any Chase bank using this account information: United Phoenix Fire Fighters Association Account #987218757.