Yet here she was. We just lost 19 of the finest people you'll ever meet.'. Were there REALLY not enough tests when Matt Hancock 'had to reject Chris Whitty's advice on care home Rishi Sunak is urgently reviewing his private exchanges with Matt Hancock after bombshell leak of ex-Health 'Drinks cold in fridge at DH!' The fire has also destroyed an estimated 200 homes. "They were heroes to the people that they helped there. He sent a photo of where he was sitting and what the fire looked like for them, at their lunch spot, Ashcraft said on TODAY Tuesday. The fire that swept over the Granite Mountain Hotshots left Juliann Ashcraft a widow. Juliann Ashcraft is looking forward to July 1, the day after the one-year anniversary of the wildfire disaster that took the lives of her husband Andrew and 18 other members of the Granite. Jan Brewer said in a statement. You should have seen the appreciation in their eyes and also the empathy, she said. She and 18 other families still won't have fathers and husbands around for birthdays and holidays. 1. Eighteen of the 19 firefighters who lost their lives were part of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, an elite firefighting team from Prescott, Arizona. The firefighting team was bigger than life, she said. ', Worry: Alora Slemboski consoles Nancy Myers, who fears she lost her home, outside the Red Cross Shelter, Remembrance: Volunteer citizen patrol officer Seymour Petrovsky stands guard at the gate, Overwhelmed: Local resident Bob Hoskovec says a prayer as he kneels outside the gate on Monday, Mourning: Toby Schultz pauses after laying flowers at the gate of the Granite Mountain Hot Shot Crew fire station in Prescott, Arizona on Monday morning. To learn more about Only The Brave and how you can support the wildland firefighter communities through the Granite Mountain Fund, click here. Others were found outside them. At the Sonoita-Elgin Fire District station, Roxanne got out of the truck and introduced herself to the firefighters. They fought fires together. Do not sell or share my personal information. She is Roxanne Preston now, having married a man named Harry Preston last summer. It was someone from Blue Ridge who had picked up the crew's lookout, the only survivor. Her own wedding anniversary is just a few weeks away.". Billie Grace was 10 months old when they moved in, just the two of them, with the sorrow of their loss. Thats for your daddy, she told her. 'Now I have four kids and myself, and I don't know what I'm going to do. . The 4-1 vote came at the same time that an army of Hotshots from around the West was returning to the area to battle a fire near Slide Rock State Park less than 100 miles from where their 19 Granite Mountain colleagues died. Also killed was Kevin Woyjeck, who followed in the footsteps of his father, a fire captain with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. But the city is refusing to pay Mrs Ashcraft her husband's lifetime salary and health benefits, which together are worth millions, because it insists he was among 13 of the squad who were seasonal employees rather than full-timers. They remove brush, trees and anything that might burn in the direction of homes and cities. We love them." Source: Getty Images Article continues below advertisement Please enter valid email address to continue. And I want the world to know that they were heroes, and I would find the tallest mountain and shout how great they are. (CBS News) PRESCOTT, Ariz. -- Five weeks ago, 19 men were killed fighting a wildfire near Yarnell, Ariz. Mrs Ashcraft sobbed as she recounted the bravery of her beloved husband and his close unit of highly-trained 'hotshot' colleagues, who were overcome by the ferocious flames in Yarnell. That doesnt change, no matter what happens. July 2, 2013, 3:05 PM. Inside Edition Investigates as Over 2,000 ER Visits in Last Decade Involved Them, Ohio Train Derailment: EPA Cracks Down on Hazardous Waste Removal as Federal Agents Go Door to Door, Bryan Kohberger Fights Bids to Lift Gag Order By Parties Seeking New Details About Murder Investigation, Honduran Man Dies From Injuries Sustained After Falling From the US-Mexico Border Barrier, Shovel, Bloody Rope Found in Car That Belonged to Ex of Teacher Found Slain in Shallow Grave: Prosecutor. The fire had crept close to an area Roxanne knew well. Andrew Ashcraft, 29, of Prescott, Ariz., was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and one of 19 firefighters who died battling a fire that swept through Yarnell, Ariz., on Sunday. Because of the dangers of the job, he would always tell us that he loved us.'. Mr Ashcraft, like his colleagues, was protecting the people of Yarnell when he died, tragically leaving his young family without a husband, father or income. Another board member, Wade Ward of the Prescott Fire Department, said the question was difficult because "everything that we've gone through and continue to go through is unprecedented. she told the Today show as she struggled to hold back the tears. He was the only one of the 13 Hotshots denied full benefits who worked a 40 hour week through out the year. She says her husband and his fellow firefighters "loved what they did" and shares how she and . The smell of smoke could still make Roxanne panic. "The city has fully complied with all of the laws and employment policies that direct survivor benefits," the statement said. The fire was sparked by a lightning strike on Friday and spread to at least 8,400 acres amid triple-digit temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. The 29-year-old former "rookie of the year" on the elite "Hotshot" team, was a father of four, all of whom are younger than 6 years old. Nineteen men lost their lives while saving the town of Yarnell, located 90 minutes from Phoenix. Juliann Ashcraft said: "It was out of the ordinary for him, because he said 'this is getting wild' and 'Peoples Valley an Yarnell are looking to burn.' Prescott High School physical education teacher and coach Lou Beneitone taught many of the Hotshots, and remembered Ashcraft as a fitness-oriented student. Joe Woyjeck, Loved: The bodies of Wade Parker, 22, left, and 21-year-old Woyjeck, right, were retrieved on Monday, Heroes: A group photograph shows members of the Prescott Granite Mountain Hotshots, Andrew Ashcraft - 29Robert Caldwell - 23Travis Carter - 31Dustin Deford - 24Christopher MacKenzie - 30Eric Marsh - 43Grant McKee - 21Sean Misner - 26Scott Norris - 28Wade Parker - 22John Percin - 24Anthony Rose - 23Jesse Steed - 36Joe Thurston - 32Travis Turbyfill - 27William Warneke - 25Clayton Whitted - 28Kevin Woyjeck - 21Garret Zuppiger - 27, 'Their situational awareness and their training was at such a high level that it's unimaginable that this has even happened.'. They are heroes. Her palms grew sweaty. She said she had been texting her husband throughout the day - with him telling her how much he loved and missed her, and how proud he was of their young children - until he abruptly stopped. She took in a breath and slowly let it out. Southwest incident team leader Clay Templin said the team and its commanders were following safety protocols, but it appears the fire's erratic nature simply overwhelmed them. It continues to burn, with flames lighting up the night sky in the forest above Yarnell, a town of about 700 residents about 85 miles northwest of Phoenix. When Roxanne introduced herself to the firefighters at the station, she told them that her husband had been one of the 19 hotshots killed in the Yarnell fire. 'And of course there was no reply and they all laid out there that night. But the Yarnell Hill fire was different. I saw that it kept growing, Roxanne said. Right now, we're in crisis. 'This is as dark a day as I can remember,' Gov. These men worked together," she said. As they unloaded the truck, Roxanne could smell the fire. Top nutrition scientist says you should drink as many varieties as possible 'because it's good for your gut', Andrew Ashcraft, 29, died beside 18 of his 'Hotshot' comrades on June 30, He left behind his young wife, Juliann, and their four children, the youngest of whom is 18 months, Five weeks after the tragedy, Mrs Ashcraft has been denied the full lifetime benefits she was relying on to raise the couple's children, City of Prescott claims the Hotshot was one of 13 firefighters who were 'seasonal' workers, They say she is therefore only entitled to worker's compensation and a one off payment of $328,000, But Mr Ashcraft actually worked 40 hours a week all year round. Less then two days after Andrew Ashcraft's life was taken, Juliann Ashcraft spoke about her husband and the other members of the Granite Mountain Hotshot crew. British Summer Time begins in March but do you wind your watch forward or back this spring, Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class, Covid gurus Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance warned that shielding wasn't 'very effective' at start of pandemic - yet policy affecting 2.2m Brits wasn't dropped until April 2021, 'Appalled and sickened but not surprised at all': Fury of Covid families as WhatsApps 'show Matt Hancock rejected Chris Whitty's care home Covid testing advice before 43k died' - but ex-Health Secretary insists there 'just weren't enough tests'. Roxanne picked up Billie Grace and showed it to her. Heartbroken: Juliann Ashcraft, cries alongside her father Tom Ashcraft outside of the Granite Mountain Hotshot fire station in Prescott on Monday July 1, Struggle: Juliann Ashcraft, left, will only get a one-off payment of $328,000 and workers' compensation. For a long time, Roxanne didnt understandeither, how a highly qualified crew, well-trained and disciplinedby all accounts, with a lookout and regular protocols, could have found itself trapped in a canyon with no way out. "I want to be able to just be mourning my husband, be supporting my children, be figuring out what our new normal is," she said. "Quite literally, my bills are being paid by the good people of the world who are giving donations, because the city of Prescott isn't doing anything for us," she said. Harry loaded 20 cases of oranges and 16 bags of apples, about 350 pounds in all, onto a cart and then into their truck. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. While her. Chris MacKenzie joined the Forest Service in 2004 and had been in the Prescott Fire Department for two years. Because of the dangers of the job, he would always tell us that he loved us. "And we'll miss them. He often asks Roxanne, What do you think Billy would want?. At one point, Roxanne noticed that the Sawmill Fire had doubled in size overnight. 'We could sure use some rain over here,' he said. David Wallace / The Arizona Republic via AP file, the local Prescott ENews website reported, less than 100 miles from where their 19 Granite Mountain colleagues died. They fought fires together. CBS News obtained paperwork that shows Ashcraft did earn a full-time salary. Death toll: The Yarnell wildfire is the deadliest wildfire involving firefighters in the U.S. for at least 30 years. She had read reports online that firefighters had been killed, but didn't know for sure her husband was a victim until authorities showed up at her front door. Just days after the men's deaths, Mrs Ashcraft revealed the last conversation she had with her husband - and her fears when he never responded to her text messages. With the detour, it was more than two hours before they got there. 'I asked, "Will you be sleeping out there tonight?"' 'The best person I know. "That's why I never worried for their safety because they were trained," she said. 'Quite literally, my bills are being paid by the good people of the world who are giving donations, because the city of Prescott isn't doing anything for us,' she told the TV station. Mr Ashcraft also sent his wife a picture of their view of the smoke and flames from his team's lunch spot on Sunday, and Juliann said that she was not particularly concerned when she saw it. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. "And we'll. August 5, 2013 / 7:54 PM 'One of the last fail safe methods that a firefighter can do under those conditions is literally to dig as much as they can down and cover themselves with a protective - kinda looks like a foil type - fire-resistant material - with the desire, the hope at least, is that the fire will burn over the top of them and they can survive it,' Fraijo said. They died together - doing what they loved.'. 'It may be days or longer before an investigation reveals how this tragedy occurred, but the essence we already know in our hearts: fighting fires is dangerous work. ', Engulfed: 19 firefighters died as the wildfire spread near the Arizona town of Yarnell, Evacuation: Hundreds of residents were forced to flee their homes, Death toll: The Yarnell wildfire is the deadliest wildfire involving firefighters in the U.S. for at least 30 years, Heartbroken: Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said the firefighters were 'the people you'll ever meet'. 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 'Problem solving, teamwork, ability to make decisions in a stressful environment and being nice are the attributes of our crewmembers,' its website read. They reach out to firefighters and families who need support. The fire that swept over the Granite Mountain Hotshots left Juliann Ashcraft a widow. Andrew Ashcraft, 29, was dad to four kids. 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