America Burning: The Yarnell Hill Tragedy and the Nation's Wildfire Crisis

[@nerblebun]

I'm a retired High Voltage Electrician. Never thought twice about working in close proximity of energized 500 KV (500,000 Volt) equipment, but you couldn't drag me near a wildfire without knocking me out first. Takes a special kind of man to run towards a fire when when everybody else is running away. Hat's off to all Hot Shots & Firefighters. Much respects.

[@blaquentgruppe6547]

Watch 94 tragedy Ive never seen such splendid narration ever A must,you will see tbose who made it So well done ive watch it 6 times in 2 days 94 tragedy

[@jaysimonis5132]

@mitchell giebler lol my supe said the same thing when he was on the structure side 😂 look where hes at today

[@nerblebun]

@Ben Clason: My particular expertise was in Electrical Power Generating Facilities & Power Distribution Substations. Tried to stay as far away as possible from Lineman work. Linemen always work in the worst condition possible. Rain, Blizzards, Ice Storms, Hurricanes, and usually in the dark.

[@wordup897]

@mitchell giebler I am a lineman for the county...

[@nickrwidmer]

Much like I assume you had to we train for all the situations and at some point you learn to respect fire but not to fear it

[@swrz3349]

I am German and watched Only the brave in German today. Really sorry to realize the story is true. My condolences.

[@LizzyLou]

Mir den Film gestern spontan angesehen und am Ende die Augen ausgeheult, nachdem ich realisiert hatte diese Tragödie ist wirklich passiert.

[@stephenbirks6458]

Me too ! - Like wise it has just be shown on Britsh TV ! - And I was not expectingvall the main cast to die before the end of the movie -Then as the credits were shown it was naming all the heroes who had died at granit mountain - My thoughts are with you all !

[@harryschlotter1766]

Auf Wachen Im Film steht doch nach einer Wahren Geschichte ich war 11 als ich den Film angeschaut hab ich hab nicht geheult

[@Dani251975]

Auf Wachen I know the movie

[@richvolkjrful]

Bless you

[@noxiumm07]

I'm a retired Wildland Firefighter, 18 years of service. In all those years in the profession, I never once deployed my fire shelter. I'm still trying to understand why they made the decision to leave good black. This will be the one question, the one pice of the puzzle we'll never know. My prayers go out to the families of the 19, to Brendan, stay strong brother.

[@blaquentgruppe6547]

Fire danse make you do weird things Thats why we stare at it BIG BARN FIRE PULL MANY TO.WATCH THE HEAT LOVES SOFT TISSUE(LUNGS) DO ANYTHING TO DEPOSIT SOOT

[@lunaday5995]

I agree it's a question that will never be answered, from all the research I have done I just don't understand why? Such a tragic loss and continue to pray for all the families and friends.

[@noxiumm07]

@Cosmic Jay tru that

[@CrisusAttucks]

they were tryna make it to the outpost buildings and they could have if they would have left 15 min sooner.

[@wordup897]

@@lunaday5995 I just came back to watch this again about 8 years since my first and only view - the strangeness has stayed with me all that time. I was hoping there might be some answers but have not done any research on the subject. Have you learned anything at all? Very strange phenomena maybe somehow akin to Missing 411.

[@bradnov89]

This is actually an extremely well made doco. It answers lots of questions. They left the safety zone (the black) They lost site of a rapidly changing fire. They got trapped in a "funnel" that channeled the fire towards them. The fire shelters are only designed to withstand radiant heat not direct flame contact. The air support crew couldn't see the ground through the smoke so didn't have an exact location on the hotshots, they didn't want to waste an air drop. The fire that overran them was burning at over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit where the shelters can withstand heat up too 500. It was a cascade of errors and a bad situation all round.

[@User0000000000000004]

akshually

[@LadyOaksNZ]

Thanks for the breakdown. Way too saaad RIP HEROES ALL. 🙏♥️🙏♥️🙏.

[@KuvDabGib]

Leaving black was the bad error... it wasnt intentional i understand the motivation to protect the ppl and their properties, but... you can rebuild, ppl can evacuate, but you cant reanimate dead ppl . :(

[@PatPauloMMA]

I agree. This was the doc I was looking for.

[@anonymousocsec2791]

Wwe have a better one that actually tells you what's causing these "wild" fires

[@smokey1255]

I was a Hot Shot in the 60s and had a great Super. He turned down an assignment for us because he thought it was too dangerous. The crew that took the assignment lost 11 men. Yes, we were safety minded. One of my crewmates developed LCES. He and I were on two fatal fires and he was also on the Dude fire. Even as safe as we were, the rules and practices are even safer today. If you have ever been a Hot Shot you are always one and this tragedy hit me very hard. I think the report was a whitewash. Whoever made the decision to leave the black made a wrong and deadly decision. We don't know why the crew left the black but I have an idea. The day after the tragedy a Prescott Fire Chief was interviewed and talked about the can do spirit of the crew and that they occasionally pushed beyond the limit to accomplish something. He said the leader saw that Yarnell was burning and naturally wanted to get over there to save the town. If that attitude rather than a safety awareness infected the crew, they relied on luck and their luck ran out. I think the report should have investigated the fire department management and overall culture and state that the Superintendent made a bad decision.

[@orangejoe204]

Nailed it, bro. It's the "Green Berets" situation from the Loop Fire all over again. "One Up" Marsh building himself a gung-ho commando squad with 50% of his personnel rookies or sophomores. Nothing ever changes. It makes me tremendously sad that the financial realities of wildland firefighting mean they STILL can't retain career Hotshots anymore unless they motivate them with pointless glory instead of a living wage. Idiots who produce results are promoted and cautious leaders are ignored, sneered at and dismissed. I did 8 years in the US Army infantry and my commanders had vastly more respect for the lives of their men than many leaders I've served under as a firefighter. Sad but true. It's a lingering disease in our profession. Stay safe.

[@imJamesF]

I'm a bc wildland firefighter and our rules consist of just safety is the priority. Any threat of losing a life or being injured we pull out.

[@jpm4444]

Your comments are the 800 pound gorilla in the room that no one really wants to talk about. Just the term "hotshots" shows a kind of bravado that you wonder is what made them leave. There are some online who are affiliated with the fire department there that had the same comments. It's kind of like cops who are on a chase and they will do anything to catch who they are chasing even at times if it is dangerous.

[@mykofreder1682]

Towns need evacuation plans with places people can park their cars for a day or two, saving peoples lives should never be a consideration in a forest fire. If people in town are being killed the evacuation plan has to be rethought. When conditions for fighting fires become unfavorable the fighters should get safe and be required to stay there until conditions are safe or the fire passes. Entering brush because you think you can fight the fire when current conditions are not favorable is foolish.

[@mwnciboo]

Maybe, but you could apply the same logic to 9/11 couldn't you? Firemen still went in, there is a point at which you cannot stand idly by. Look at the Cop at the high school who stood outside, when the active shooter was inside. There are times when you have to make a decision, and you are imperfect. When i was an Officer in the military i resolved to do the best i can, i never wanted the shame of "Not doing my Duty" and if that meant I would die, then so be it, no one will accuse me of being a coward or not doing my duty.

[@patrickkanas3874]

In my opinion they left the black because they underestimated the speed that the fire was moving. As a firefighter I can tell you that I've misjudged the strength of a fire myself before, add that to that unstoppable itch that tells you to get back in the fight and stop the fire and I guarantee you that others would've made the same call.

[@peterf.229]

all the OTHERS in this case had pulled back,. listen again to the radios message at the start of the video. That was the other crews wondering why they were where they reported to be. You can't hear but they gave grid coordinates where they were asking for air support to drop some retadant on their location, the issue with that was it was out and heading back to get more. then they got grounded due to high winds.

[@tarheelblue63nc25]

Patrick Kanas I doubt they would have made the same call.

[@notsure7939]

As a firefighter I can tell you no one gets to make that kind of a call outside of hotshots. The GM supervisor was also the division supervisor so they had no one to answer to outside of their own crew. Normal fire crews can't just decide to get back in it because they have an itch. They have someone outside of their crew who's job it is to know where they are and what they're doing. Their DIVS or TFL would be the one who makes the decision. I wouldn't have made the same call.

[@notsure7939]

@Todd Hoskins yeah, all fires are different and you're right that none of us will know what happened. The issue I'm bringing up isn't specific to this incident. But what happened to GM is a symptom of a larger problem. Anywhere they go, shots are given latitude to do pretty much whatever they want. That means if they don't feel like communicating, they don't have to. If they want to have the entire division to themselves, they get it. Pretty much no one below Ops chief tells them what to do and everyone else gets to work around what they want. Yarnell was a result of that. I've had enough fires literally lit below my crew by hotshots to feel like this needs to be talked about and changed. I don't know who told you there was a brotherhood in wildland fire. That's the structural guys. 90% of shot crews won't even talk to anyone who's not a shot. Even if you're working with them. It's dangerous, stupid and part of their culture.

[@2011blueman]

Actually, all the professional crews at that fire made the exact opposite call. Only this local yokel crew made this horrible decision and it cost them their lives.

[@thomasrobertson9993]

As a former wild land firefighter from 1990 through 1997 and lost two brothers in a helicopter crash in 1994 on the Gila National Forest. no tree or a field of grass or a house is worth anyone’s life! But the fallen protect those that walk in their footsteps! God bless all the love this lifestyle and God bless all of my fallen brothers and sisters!

[@marywinterstein2002]

you say your husband's were remarkable human beings, ladies so are you.

[@JosephKulik2016]

Tragedies like this happen because human beings arrogantly assume that they can control Nature. In the end, Nature ALWAYS Wins. The man at the beginning was correct when he said that suburbia has stretched too far into the wilderness, but who can you blame for that ? IMO, it was a foolish decision to plant communities so close to forests long before climate change became an issue. ... [e-mail]

[@ScoobyDooby530]

Joe Kulik what’s the point of adding your email?

[@1thepner]

@@JosephKulik2016 who cares about your email? If I'm a member of one of the families, your post didn't help very much.

[@Cosmicsurfpro]

Go to hell Joe. Fire burns forever cuz there's no hotshots there

[@Tuocal01]

@@JosephKulik2016 total douche bag

[@stevekon11]

They made a mistake to leave the black without a lookout ....and they paid for it with their lives. God bless them. Dam fire is unforgiving. But I got to say I find it incomprehensible that air support and everyone else was unaware of their location. I'm a FFT1CB and we always have at least one usually two GPS on us and they have proven very useful in coordinating a bucket drop especially in smoky conditions. I'm only mentioning this in hopes it might help another fire fighter. I have the utmost respect for GMH they were some of the best we have.

[@ZIGMAN775]

+Steve Konrad THEY WERE IN THE FUCKING BLACK, AND A HUGE ONE They left for someones ego NEVER EVER abandon your tactics This wrenches my heart

[@orangejoe204]

Part of the myth of Yarnell is the idea that the GMIHC was "some of the best we have". They were surely the bravest and most ambitious, but "best" implies mastery of their profession, and that's simply not at all true. Exactly 10 of the 20 Hotshots were either 1st season rookies or 2nd season sophomores. 50-effin'-percent of an "elite" team. That's worse than the vet-to-greenhorn ratio in my local VFD. And it wasn't for lack of trying. Truth is that Hotshot crews have terrible turnover rates because nobody can afford to pay them a structural firefighter's salary/benefits for the 10 months out of the year that they're not actually on the line. 90% of the Hotshots I've known are under 25 years old and desperate to get a full-time structural gig so they can actually... y'know, support a family, buy a house, etc. Thus, you get a very unhealthy attitude where their whole future career attitude is tied up in their self perception as guys who'll eat a shit sandwich with a smile, never say "no", take the worst risks on the worst fires for a few years so they can prove themselves, outdo their competitors and get rewarded with tenure and stability.

[@amandamaurer1728]

Steve Konrad excuse me they have someone watching the fire the whole time told them to get out to get to the safety zone the way they were heading was a smart area when the wind changes fire caught up to them sometimes we put on lice to save yours houses where animals but people don't respect that and don't understand what we go through fires are so bad bad from last year until this year

[@julesbjeweled7891]

Phillip Unrau. "lured" & "murdered"??????? Shut your f-ing disrespectful mouth and remove your tinfoil hat you ignorant conspiracy theorist.

[@jimbojohnny8247]

Steve Konrad well CB Steve. In the radio comms. You could hear em call for a drop but the smoke was to thick to see the hotshots spot. GPS probably needed charging or batteries? Always when you need it, it'll be useless. Ranger compass

[@mikeggg1979]

I hate to say it but no man should die trying to save a forest or a house. Natures been doing this for millions of years, Fire actually helps the forest in the long run. 19 men that day burned alive suffered a awful death for what? To save a few trees and houses. The people who built them houses knew the risks it’s their loss. This really is a sad story and the way each member died is even safer.

[@maddixhunt9612]

They fight the fires so you can eat sleep and shit and not burn

[@charliepreston6738]

I was so Mad these folks died for a some fucking scrub land. It always urns it's natural. Putting the fires out only builds up the fuel TILL THAT ONE DAY. BOOM. I hate to see the men used this way its SAD.

[@warriorgaming717hq5]

You contain it sure we know it’s nature the job isn’t necessarily to put it out but to contain it and prevent it from getting to towns to stop it from killing people and sometimes all they can do is buy precious time for evacuation and save lives so before you talk about how these guys shouldn’t have been doing that stop and think what comes after the forest is burnt oh yeah that town x number of miles away so they draw a line and slow it down or if possible stop it that’s the job of a hotshot that’s the job those men did and died doing to save others

[@jillwerner8133]

@@warriorgaming717hq5 we understand that but the point here is that they should have NEVER been lead out of their safety zone AFTER the FACT that the crew leader was well aware of the high wind danger that was just announced before they were taken into the trap area!. Now GOD bless them all but the point being... enough was enough.... time to have kept it safe and to have gone home.especially after the fact they weren't getting enough rest....(8 hrs of down time).

[@jillwerner8133]

@@charliepreston6738 👍

[@sheeeshhh4517]

For all of those heroes rest in peace we will never forget you 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

[@leanneadams2549]

Every single one will forever have my respect and my tears forever !

[@christophernewton8474]

To all you brave souls, salute

[@cynthiaardis4819]

In the 1980's I worked for the Prescott Forest service and saw first hand the bravery of the Hot Shots. They are all a very special and dedicated group of human beings year after year.

[@wyattclark8313]

I live in Prescott and I don't know if I should call the office but if you could get in contact with me through text on what I need together to start my career in that direction

[@AlashiaTuol]

@@wyattclark8313 You live there? I read an article about how a few of the firefighters' wives felt they had to leave to protect their children from the dislike of their community. Is attitude of the city still the same, or has it changed?

[@wyattclark8313]

@@AlashiaTuol yeah man the whole town is still mourning

[@AlashiaTuol]

@@wyattclark8313 I'm sure, but that's not what I asked. Is the compensation for the firefighters' families still a source of negative feelings towards them, as was reported a couple years ago?

[@wyattclark8313]

AlashiaTuol I don’t believe it is, The town still does fundraisers and stuff for the families left behind

[@charleswhitcher6095]

The time has come for the emphasis to shift from suppression to preparation and protection. Creating defendable spaces around properties and towns is the way forward. Well trained fire fighters and effective suppression is only part of the solution. More tankers/firefighters during the recent fires in Greece, South Africa, Australia, and California would have not made that much of a difference. Too much fuel and too much momentum with the prevailing climatic conditions. People are out of touch with nature and have become arrogant. Most of the areas affected by these fires are located in fire driven biomes yet people/towns/administrations take very little responsibility for their own safety and then expect firefighters to perform miracles on the day. Based on my experience with wildfires the occurrence and intensity of wildfires will only increase. There needs to be specific landscaping and building laws for home/landowners in fire prone areas. Chaparral, Fynbos, and Macchie all need to burn periodically in order to survive. Instead of trying to manipulate the natural processes of the environment people should adapt to it.

[@peterf.229]

so what you are saying is in Yarnell they should have just dumped retardant along where the town was located and let it burn? because the area aound the town is filled with grasses and scrub trees. there are also a lot of cacti, and yuccas around the town, with a few agaves as well, I should know Ive been in the area to look at the plants. Its not chaparral , more of grass lands with small stunted trees, most of which were scrub oak and sumac. at the start of the fire they didnt know it was gonna shift towards the town , but dumping retardant would have saved a few houses that burned on the hill area towards the edge of town, the town itself wasn't burnt to the ground in most places. US 89 splits the town and there was only one area where it crossed the road that I have seen and it was in an unpolulated area

[@dagwood527]

So true

[@dagwood527]

Mitigation not suppression

[@dexydexa]

I remember my dad being shaken when he realized these men had deployed. He said, "we were told they (the fire shelters) would protect us." I don't know the exact year, but he spent a summer at the Lolo National Forest Interagency Hotshot Crew. Many blessings and prayers to these heroes. It's still shocking to see all these years later.

[@Queen_of_war1988]

Fire shelters work low fire not high MJ fire hot can bee hot hot hot

[@kenaultman7499]

I was going to be a smoke jumper because I was an army paratrooper medic and though it would be an easy transition. That was, until I looked up the pay. Currently, smokejumper pay average is $16 an hour. WTF America!? I stopped because we're just faceless young guys dying to protect rich peoples forest mansions. You know these guys get paid damn near min wage, right? Glass door has it at $16 an hour now. Sure, you'll get a lot of overtime. But, you're risking your life. It should be a six figure job. The people in the rich mansions we save wouldn't have us over for dinner or be caught dead with us in public. I've done this work, my dad is retired Chicago FD. I'll never forget one of my first calls as an EMT. We had just saved a guy having a heart attack, stabilized him, and then his wife comes and says "next time can you come in the back door? We don't usually allow commoners to use the front door." She saw us as her servants. I wanted to say, next time we'll just let him die for you so you don't have to worry about what door we use. Most of the people in the upper class see us this way. They'll tell you to work hard and maybe you can be like them some day too! If hard work equalled money, no one in a sweat shop would be poor. None of us would go do this shit if had money, or a family with connections. That's what pays, connections. If you're not already connected to the club via birth, the odds you make it to said club are basically non-existent. They don't send us to the poor places because those places are not seen as valuable. So, we protect rich people's property. Our camp locations are determined by the local governments. Whom, are run and now owned by the rich. Poor peoples houses and stuff gets burned, while they save the nice neighborhoods. Then, they can say, look how much money we saved with our firefighters! What are the billionaires and politicians going to do when we just stop showing up to do this stuff? We are close. Why risk my life to save your house when I'm not even paid enough to buy a very, very modest home for my family doing it? I won't be the one to make and bring out the guillotines. But, at this point I'm not stopping

[@Genkosu]

I have nothing but the utmost respect for every human who selflessly throws himself in danger just to protect others. Thanks for running in while we're running out. Rest in peace and may the odds be ever in the favor of those who still live and serve to protect others.

[@philgiglio7922]

"How do you say "Thank you" to the 19 who died?" Wasn't it a teen-age girl who wrote that song as a memorial to these brave men?

[@albertcerrato2575]

Sad reminder of these dangerous fires. The winds alone can shift and guys are too close and the super heated air will sear your lungs. If you feel you are in a dangerous situation, no matter what a supervisor says, you have the last decision for your safety. They are possibly not with you or know what you see. What is the worse that can happen? You lose your job? I was a Firefighter in a big city. We lost a guy on night, a Lieutenant in an apartment building Fire. It seemed like a nothing fire and it was just one of those rainy Sunday afternoons. This one Officer, was on the fire floor, with or without an Air Pac, one unit goes on the fire escape and shoots a fire stream into a window, he was overcome and died with superheated air. It can happen anytime. The next day, we have this job, its small, wood structure, lots of water poured on the fire from outside, we go in, one floor is covered with about a foot or so of water. Water weighs 8.35 lbs a gallon. So a complete floor of water is lots of weight, in the tons. I said to this Chief, I was a Captain at the time, we better get the men out of here, this floor is going to collapse, with the weight of the water, and our crew which was 4 men and the Chief, so that is another 1000 lbs added. The Chief, a good guy, says, stop saying that, you are making the guys panic. I said, are you nuts, we lost a guy last night and you want to stay on this floor. I pulled my guys out. It didn't collapse, but I thought it may. If you see something, say something. Many a Firefighter are killed from doing stupid things a supervisor tells them to do. Case in point, one fire, go in basement to put fire out on underside of beams. The guys were up to their necks in water. Fully gear on and one step in a hole and you drown. Why didn't anyone say anything? They had their radios on too, so they were all ruined, and what if they didn't go in? So what, the building was shot by then. Supervisors, not thinking. I can tell a lot of stories of stupidity. It is up to you so speak up.

[@ZIGMAN775]

+Albert Cerrato I agree with you with my whole heart. They shouldn't have left that fucking safe zone, THEY WERE IN A HUGE FUCKING BLACK They abandoned their tactics for a "leaders" ego Fuck that, I will stay behind alone before I die out there like that.

[@orangejoe204]

"The Chief, a good guy, says, stop saying that, you are making the guys panic. I said, are you nuts, we lost a guy last night and you want to stay on this floor. I pulled my guys out. It didn't collapse, but I thought it may." Been there before, brother. You want to know the shittiest part? You can 100% guarantee that chief was talking shit about you to the other guys when you weren't around after that. Because nobody died, and you refused an order in favor of safety, he'll never think of you the same way ever again. Once somebody in command has decided they're an Army Ranger and the red stuff is al-Qaida, anybody who doesn't match his bravado is a "weak sister" and a "coward". It's why I left my first fire company.

[@janetwood9486]

it seems a whole lot of things went bad very quickly.. unstable shifting winds should be stayed in the black, accurate air drops, or why they went back in....they did what they were trained to do, can't fault them for that.

[@estamiboproductions4068]

Albert Cerrato I'm willing to bet had you not pulled out your guys it would have collapsed, but because you had the guts to say something, you prevented that from happening and saved the lives of your men.

[@lonelylantern9135]

@@estamiboproductions4068 Yes you can only be proved right by the crew's death or an extremely close call with death! When in reality his decision was proved right by the unnecessary risk, and the fact they all lived. I know nothing about firefighting, but I have seen this toxic attitude in other organisations. Some people in power love playing games with people's lives because they don't care about safety.

[@jeromewendell2193]

A sad tragedy. I commend the two wives for coming on and speaking about what they know. I cant imagine what they were going through.

[@orangejoe204]

Eric Marsh's wife still refuses to admit he did anything wrong. She has my sympathy, and I never expected her to otherwise, but firefighter wives are like infantry wives: the only way they get through the long, awful nights is by imagining their old man as a mythical hero who does things they can't possibly understand and faces enemies beyond human comprehension (neither of which is true). It's a defense mechanism. My first captain had a favorite phrase: "It's called fire SCIENCE for a reason." Overvaluing the emotional vs. the science after a disaster negates the real need for fingers to be pointed for the good of the profession and to prevent further deaths. Why would you deny future firefighters the chance to learn so they survive? These men are dead; they feel nothing. Are we to now throw all those hard-earned lessons out the door so that Eric Marsh's wife doesn't have to face it?

[@jillwerner8133]

@@orangejoe204 I don't know about that but I don't know how any spouse beit man or woman just moving on so quickly to another relationship. I mean good for her but marriage and as long as they were together.... I personally would have been in grief and mourning for a good 5yrs. I'm clean and sober plus celibate for 3yrs. Someone like your significant other doesn't come along every day. Good for her though. Just to finish my point about being single..... I still have thoughts about my last relationship.. but am happy he's happy and has moved on . Some people can just move on easier than others I guess. Maybe it was too painful for her to get on camera.....or she just didn't want to be put on the spot. It would have been nice to hear from her perspective on the issue instead of her just speaking of how the fund raiser could help. No pun intended.

[@Tarheel13]

Orange Joe I read a statement that Amanda Marsh said only Eric knows why he had them leave the black and go into a box canyon.

[@orangejoe204]

@Mark Calous Thanks for being the 900th reply to me that rants emotionally without citing a single fact. Thanks for being a walking stereotype of the community, vollie.

[@thesunsetreptiles]

i to use to be a fire fighter in cali. and i was at my station when i heard about what happen. even through i didn't know them i felt like i did. there's not a day that goes by that i dont think about those 19 fire fighters. They well be miss. RIP my brothers.

[@madezra64]

Thanks for your service. I almost became an inmate firefighter but got held on the yard from a technicality and never made it to camp. To this day I regret not getting the opportunity to do something positive and selfless. I trained and met a lot of righteous men though at least. So thank you for your service again :)

[@donaldgoodrich6089]

I was a smoke jumper in the 60s an I know how hot a fire can be. The loss of the all those men is heart breaking.

[@AlexVostox]

*THUMBS UP IF YOU ALREADY WATCHING "ONLY THE BRAVE" (2017)* Hella awesome tragic stories told by Hollywood. I shed manly tears for it.

[@allenparker7016]

Its been 5 years and it still seems like there here. we continue to honor and celebrate there legacy there family's left behind. keep praying, keep faith, keep those left behind in your thoughts, dont be afraid to shed a tear, those were heroes and dont ever forget that, Amen

[@stoner907]

I bawled my eyes out, son of a firefighter so it really hit home hard

[@dwaynejohnson7518]

Marine firefighter. So it hit me hard. Was in Texas when this happened

[@peterf.229]

I wont watch that movie, Ive been to the "deployment" site tho

[@monicasolar9381]

Alex Vostox i just watched it 3xs. Sad.

[@-AZ.TRAC-]

This happened not even 15 miles from my house. Really hits home. Rest in peace heroes

[@291xMac]

Yarnell hill, if you listen to the radio transmissions Granite mountain was cut off by other units. These guys were professional hotshots and a pilot was talking over them. It was ridiculous.

[@thundercat2320]

Wouldn't have made a difference anyway, and it was their bad decision that got them in trouble, not the pilots.

[@291xMac]

+thundercat2320 my apologies, after re reading that had a different tone than intended. There was so much adrenalin pumping through everyone it is totally understandable for comms issues. And yes, they did leave the safe zone for some reason.

[@Truck_person]

thundercat2320 shut the hell up kiddo go back to cod you will never understand what happens in those situations

[@babybrat2958]

Truck, he is kind of right....once they descended into that canyon, nothing could have been done...their fate was sealed. Marsh had to violate multiple watch out situations and general orders in order for this to happen. He was in charge of those men. All of them knew about the change of weather and change in fire behavior. They watched as the fire raced to yarnell. They all lost sight of the fire.

[@jillwerner8133]

@@291xMac poor choices.

[@JohnnyHandsometm]

I have PTSD after my garage randomly caught fire from an electrical fire when I was home alone and one of our cars was in there. What made it worse was the electrical fire took out my landline phone and randomly the TVs and refrigerator. Also, my cellphone was dead so thankfully a group of teen boys saw the smoke from the expressway and drove down to my street and I used their cell to call. We now have a new garage and a new car but it was horrific. I *COULD NOT* imagine going through what these heroes went through, their families and just living in that area. Fire is such a scary thing and I feel like people don’t take it serious enough.

[@mcsnaffle5443]

You are ridiculous.

[@JohnnyHandsometm]

@ Trolling I see…

[@last_thing_u_c8230]

Wade Parker was a good friend of mine. I feel for his family and his fiance. RIP brother

[@Mobius-one]

As a wildlands firefighter in Alberta Canada, breaks my heart to hear this story. Every time it hurts just like the first. Never met them but were the same, roughly the exact same training, pretty much the same gear, same working environment, same team bond I got with my team. We roughly go through the same thing. They had mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, wives, children, friends that they left behind. Just hurts, and we recently had one of our own die, widow maker fighting the current blaze in jasper alberta. Thank you to all my brothers and sisters in fire, stay safe! 🔥

[@IronZio]

Honor to these MEN.

[@Justin95386]

My father was a forest firefighter in northern Ontario for over 20 years, flew all over the country and into the US on occasions, wouldn’t see him for months at times. Watching the movie only the brave sure made me look back and appreciate him coming home

[@koolkidpaul6147]

I am so grateful for these firefighters who gave their life for us.

[@alexkitner5356]

I'm a firefighter that does mainly structural fires with some occasional brush fires that are nothing like these wildland fires but I've done a lot of reading and learning from different wildfire incidents. That includes numerous reports and analyses on the Yarnell Hill tragedy and while I agree that in retrospect the move they made was the wrong choice, I would disagree with the words "clearly a very dangerous situation". There are a lot of unknowns in the decision making and motivations that we will never know and there were other things they could have done that may have been safer but these guys were well trained and based on many things that are part of those analyses a very tight crew and they wouldn't and IMHO didn't deliberately make a move that came with what they would have perceived at the time as "clearly dangerous". The fire had been going the other way since it started, it had begun moving parallel to their likely route and if not for a major shift that saw the fire make a 90 degree turn and move more in 20 minutes than it had in 20 hours they would likely have reached the ranch and its safety without incident. There are few places around fires of any kind that are intrinsically safe, fire is a very dangerous thing but everything I've read and seen and looked at from reports to maps and terrain and their perceived motivation would disagree with the words clearly and dangerous. I just feel like that is demeaning to these guys and not accurate. Hindsight is 20/20 and we know now that it was the wrong move, that there were other choices and admittedly that the move might have gone against some of the wildfire safety tenets but I truly believe that they felt what they were doing was reasonably safe based on what they knew and were seeing at the time the decision was made.

[@ffrreeddyy123456]

Thank you for this documentary. As the summer rolls on I’m thinking about the fires to come and watching these videos has me really saddened to hear about the losses. Considering how much work people put in to save other people’s lives, it’s heart breaking to hear that they’re the ones losing theirs.

[@poplarbrook]

A real tragedy....an irreplaceable loss of life. i have been in this business for over 30 years and have been fortunate that there has never been a loss of life on any of the fires i have worked. There have been some close calls and scary events. too many lives are lost...one is too many. Many advances have been made in forecasting fire behaviour, rate of spread and safety. Mann Gulch, Storm King Mountain taught us hard lessons. (South Canyon Fire) and countless others have helped us understand different concepts. The one thing I was taught many years ago when I first started was from a seasoned firefighter who said "It's only trees". I know we all try to do our best, work hard and come home each night. I tell those who work with me that "One NO is a NO go". I am now an accredited safety officer and take my job seriously. Safety officers aren't the most loved people on the fireline but we have a job to do and try not to be a 'Safety dick". To everyone who has never fought a fire it's hard to understand what goes through our minds, a thousand thoughts, a bit of fear, awe, prayers but most of all it is that we look out for each other. Weather, fuels and topography all play a part. Lets remember those who have fallen to fire, respect them for what they were trying to accomplish, feel for them for the job they have in front of them...lets never forget....never forget that they were loved by many and now are gone...let us never forget.

[@robertotrevino1796]

I always wondered why they left the zone but in the end it just sounds like they misjudged the fire…doesn’t change the fact that they were heroes

[@anubhavgupta2109]

I never thought wildfires spread so fast. Until i saw the movie on Netflix. My deepest condolences to all families.

[@vaughandrummer]

So, probably like many people here, I watched Only The Brave. And then immediately had to jump on here and investigate and watch films that were real and not directed in a Hollywood surrounding. But the film did do justice; and I cried. They were the bravest of the brave. RIP.

[@alexbritch02]

I watched the movie based off this event, It was, It brought me to tears at the end, Was a great movie, Told the story very well.

[@stephaniejohnson9968]

I just pray that they were unconscious from the smoke, god forbid they were in pain when they died. I pray to them for their bravery and duty and to the family they left behind. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼They were together from beginning to end. I hope the one that survived finds peace. Imagine losing your brothers and to come home and be the only one left that survived. ❤️❤️❤️

[@Shinuchiha_99]

My cousin lost her home and 2 dogs last year the day before New Year’s Eve from the Marshall Fire in Louisville, Co.. she lived in the coal creek subdivision which was pretty much burned to a crisp from the ferocity of the flames.. there were wind gusts of up to 127 mph on that day and at times the fire was moving 700yds every 30 seconds.. crazy stuff.. she is now living in Lafayette and with help from the Red Cross has a new home although it’s not as nice as the one she had before but I think she’s just thankful to the lord Jesus that she’s still alive.. I thank the Louisville FD, Colorado State Patrol, Boulder county sheriff, and Louisville PD and all the departments that tried to save hers and others houses and I thank firefighters around the country for what they do everyday!!❤❤️‍🔥🚒

[@PatPauloMMA]

Having a 2 and 1 year old myself, it absolutely wrecks my heart thinking about how these men won’t be going home to their children.

[@arcticwanderer2000]

I used to be part of an Initial Attack Helitack crew based out of my home village in Southwest Alaska. We'd get the call and had 5 minutes to get loaded and airborne. We'd get dropped off and if the 5 of us couldn' t handle the fire after a few days we'd call in for a crew to get assembled and flown in. but that never happened on any fire I was on. I'd say fire fighting was the most exciting job I had. But our fires never got hot and insane like these fires down south and usually weren't threatening communities., much respect to those men and women.

[@marywinterstein14]

Thank you for your service. Enormous respect and love

[@slanderous.j]

Some of the most bravest, courageous, hard-working men to ever fight the fight. *Salute*

[@AlashiaTuol]

Apparently Prescott, Arizona treated the firemen's surviving family members terribly afterwards because of monetary compensation, to the point where the captain's wife left because she didn't want her children to continue being glared at. Public officials scapegoated them and blamed the death compensation sums for a rise in taxes and encouraged the population to think of the firefighters' families as monetarily taking advantage of the tragedy, with their legal team even accusing the wives of being greedy in court. In response, the families had to sue for proper investigations and compensatory benefits. Edit: source: www.nytimes.com/2014/06/27/us/money-splits-a-city-still-mourning-its-firefighters.html?_r=0

[@jamesduprey2719]

Thank you for this video. I hiked the trail. I stood by the memorial. I said a prayer. I will never forget.

[@movinbutnotshakin]

Kyle Dickman's "On the Burning Edge" is a great book about the crew, their story, and the Yarnell fire. Highly recommend it, absolutely enthralling read.

[@danshearer7627]

My son-in-law was/is related to FF Rose. I retired after 22 years as a professional firefighter. I went thru classes with some of the 19 in classes and fought fire with the Granite Mountain crew.

[@shawneaaroe1438]

It’s an amazing and humbling hike to get to the site where they had to deploy their shelters. It is a very well done tribute to them...... so sad.

[@briansimpkins985]

def want to go there sometime soon and take that hike with these brave heroes are resting

[@scottfrench3354]

Shawne Aaroe I’m out of Tucson. I’m going to be making that trip here in the next couple of months.

[@lyc.7007]

@@scottfrench3354 how it go?

[@jpm4444]

no words; prayers of support to the families and friends. what a horrific loss.

[@knewtknight1890]

13:35 will break your heart! GOD BLESS THOSE MEN OF HONOR!!

[@kratz57x]

Firefighters put themselves on the line for us each and every day. Training, maintaining equipment, and preparing between fires and when called, responding with inconceivable bravery. Many don't realize the majority of Firefighters in the United States are VOLUNTEERS, taking on this awesome responsibility while maintaining other employment to support their families. Their lives should be celebrated, their bravery acknowledged, and their losses mourned. They are the best among us, God bless them and their families.

[@peterf.229]

lol the majority in Arizona are paid by cities, or counties or the Federal government. the Granite MTN hotshots were all paid by the city of Prescott. I was a volunteer in SE PA but you ar emaking ti sound like all fire fighters are when in fact in most states they are not all volunteer. even the volunteer company in my town here was filled with mostly paid positions.

[@kratz57x]

@@peterf.229 apps.usfa.fema.gov/registry/summary Please scroll down to "Department Type" where you'll find 71% is the number of VFDs.

[@elliotfernandotabaresornel5478]

heavenly father please comfort 19 families that were scared by death. glory to 19 souls rest in heaven

[@elliotfernandotabaresornel5478]

i was in the back of a ccv with my crew when captain smith told us about the situation

[@johnnyalejos3962]

Amen amen

[@peterf.229]

last I checked all the famililes survived just fine. although their lawsuits are still pending last I heard they werent going to win

[@tootall4646]

Coming up on the 10 year anniversary of this tragedy, so I watched this video again. I have watched all of them and read the books and still believe there is so much more missing to this story. So many unanswered questions. I hope changes in training, operational oversight and equipment, such as gps trackers, shelters, radios have been made by now to prevent this from occurring again. I cannot imagine the families and fellow WFF/Fire community and how this must eat away at them. I have no relation to them whatsoever and not in the fire community and it gnaws at my guts all the time. Eventually, when I get in better shape, I will hike the site, and I imagine it will be a powerful thing to see those hallowed grounds in person. God bless those men and their families🤍

[@jimbojohnny8247]

I've watched this more than 100 times, because I'm a wildland firefighter. It don't matter what you know, it's how you can expect the unexpected.respect the fire, the land and the weather the fire can create. Be paranoid and never turn your back, always strive to be your best everyday. Leave who you are at home and put on those boots you were born to be.

[@beastkidyt3397]

Jimbo Johnny My older brother is a type two trying to become type 1 the just have to get evaluated

[@gehlen52]

I was a volunteer firefighter, but even if I were back in my early 20's and in good shape, this kind of work I'm afraid I would have to turn down. Takes a special desire to do this kind of work.

[@riverrat0154]

I feel for the families of our fallen firefighters. I still wish i was doing this for a living i do miss it and know the dangers but i enjoyed it.

[@victordillabaugh1724]

Absolutely tragic. Heart-wrenching to understand what they and their families went through. Some of the comments comparing Hotshots/Wildland firefighters to structural firefighters are absurd. It's a totally different job, though we do seem to have some things in common. As a 30 year structural firefighter now I can attest that I wouldn't want their job! A few years ago I was in BC in a heavy fire season and went down to a local pub where I happened upon a crew that was out for the night taking respite from a weeks long work. I bought a round fo every one of them that night and every single one of them came over and thanked me. When they found out I was structural they said "Oh man I could never do that job"! I laughed and said the exact same thing back to them. We chatted, laughed, told a few lies (stories) and eventually parted. I wished them well as they were headed up again the next morning to another fire somewhere close-by. I have the utmost admiration and respect for these guys and gals....as we all should. In all firefighting mistakes get made, but we aren't in the place to be criticizing. Remember them, respect them, love and support their families....XO

[@crownviclx2000]

I don't see one comment backing your claims?!?!

[@bradymartin241]

Respect for the 19. Men like these are one of a kind. To lay down their lives for others is amazing.

[@noneya7297]

Blessings to the families ❤

[@sandylane3396]

The music they played during the whole movie was so beautiful . That was so well done of a movie . I have much more respect for firefighters and Hot Shots now . We cry real tears watching the movie because they were real people with families and real hero’s . ❤

[@1maripaul]

Wow, there are just no words for such amazing people from the wives to the crew to their children that will be their legacy. I just do not even feel that i have any words to match the bravery, selflessness and courage that all the people involved show and continue to show! To all the wives, families, friends, co-workers, the lone survivor to the bravest of all; The Granite Mountain Hotshots. Thank you for all of your service (wives and families you serve just as honorably bc there are not many wives/spouses that could be the backbone to their loved one going out everyday and putting their life on the line!) Bravo and always remembered......

[@jawanlovesdnd4004]

We love all 20 of the hotshots one survived named Brendan mcdounagn and a salute for All 20 of them

[@michb7414]

Well made and documented video. They Honored these Wonderful Men. Watching this made me feel so very sad. I was a US Army Senior Warrant Officer and Blackhawk Pilot stationed at Fort Hood, Texas in August of 1995. I got wind that the Army was considering deploying Blackhawk helicopters to Boise ID to fight fires in the mountains north of Boise (McCall ID) & Montana , Libby and Troy. Libby was where they filmed the movie with John Goodman and Dustin Hoffman. There were hotshots in the movie who were trapped 360° firewall and Hoffman flew to their location and dropped retardant and saved those men. I met a lot of outstanding human beings when I was there and I fully understand why they do what it is they do. So my heart goes out to ALL of the family and friends for their terrible loss. God Bless all of you who were affected by this tragedy. CB

[@MrShobar]

One would think that the widows and survivors of these men would have been treated better...Once the flag waving and mourning were over (real quick), the survivors were readily denounced as "money grubbers" that were merely going to increase local taxes. The state settled with 12 of the families for $50,000 each. I don't think any one of these men would have thought that was a fair bargain.

[@lilbearcota5619]

MrShobar I cannot believe our town n state did what they did to these families.. I'm so heartbroken that not only did wife's lose their husbands but all the kids suffered as well and will for the rest of their lives and the worst part is the fact that these men died for us to save our community and this is how we pay them back? My God where has the respect for the fallen gone? Shows it's not we the people cuz no one knows how to stand up for our rights.. We should be gathering together and making things happen n yet we sit here n complain and do nothing but that.. I'm praying for all of you... Many God have the last laugh at the ones who do harm to good people... These men died and we pissed all over them ...

[@peterf.229]

they instantly sued everyone in sight. including the company that made their shelters. The issue here is that their shelters were not designed to be deployed in front of a wall of fire heading towards you. they can help if you are in an area that is too close to that kind of stuff but not when it is headed right at you .

[@larryphillips7349]

Man these guys were confident they could make a differance by clearing brush down there. The wind shift caught them offgard. Bad choice to leave safety area but bravery took presidence. The families should be proud these men gave all they had to protect them.

[@rickbiln]

This was a tragedy. And there is the question why. I really do not think they just thought maybe we can try harder to stop this so let's do it and go down. Either way it's a eye opener if someone gave them the orders. Nobody could see how bad it would become. Fire doesn't know or care.

[@tarheelblue63nc25]

Rick no one gave them orders to move.

[@jenniferredus3391]

This was really well done. Still so sad to think back on.

[@marfra149]

R.i.p. firefigheting brothers we had same tragedy in Croatia it's called Kornati tragedy ,just watch movie only the brave my heart is broken ...

[@jimmywrangles]

It seems to me that dropping guys into the path of fires is extremely stupid. I live in Australia and we wouldn't dream of putting lives in danger that way. Being a hero in a bushfire fire doesn't do a thing and achieves nothing, being smart does. Property, land,vehicles all mean nothing in a bushfire. Only lives matter and that certainly includes the firefighters. Hotshot squads are a dumb idea that gets brave people killed who could fight fires in a much safer way. RIP all those who died.

[@hintoflimetostitochip7978]

jimmy wrangles obviously you have no clue what hotshots do. And America will never take advice from Australia. Y’all resorted to gun buybacks for Christ’s sake.

[@peterf.229]

@@hintoflimetostitochip7978 oh yes gun buy backs are the worst thing ever. I wish I could move to Australia and get away form the morons like you but they don't like people from America very much, it seems, its near impossible to move there now, probably due ot idiots liek you

[@peterf.229]

Jimmy wrangles I think that Australia does things differently, but I have seen a few documentaries about your bush fires and some of them are insane, and atm NSW has a bunch of fires all over, hope people get out and they can be put out.

[@hintoflimetostitochip7978]

Peter F. I wouldn’t say they are the worse thing ever but it says a lot about how incompetent the people are that propose them... And aussies love me! Because I’m not a pussy!

[@tarheelblue63nc25]

jimmy wrangles But there you are doing it now. Oh by the way, those Americans just arrived to help you.

[@swiftyoverfifty]

My heart breaks for the families.

[@praamsaga1727]

Wow. Very moving and emotional video. Even got me choked up watching those women cry.

[@flexch2011]

R.i.p brothers! Thank you so much

[@Proud2BBlue]

I'm a retired structure firefighter and paramedic. One question I've had on my mind for years was why did the fire get to 2000 degrees in an opening without fuel to burn and kill these firefighters and how long would it have taken for them to lose consciousness.

[@FurryWrecker911]

They weren't in an opening. They marched down into the valley full of small trees and brush. They scrambled to try to make an opening but ran out of time before the fire wall was right on top of them. Looking at what little investigation material is online, some of their blankets were within arms reach of the vegetation they couldn't remove in time. The 50 mph gusts they were enduring acted as forced induction making the fire burn far hotter than it would unimpeded. It was like taking a burn barrel and fitting the exhaust side of a vacuum cleaner to the bottom of it and flicking the on-switch, turning the entire place into a smelter.

[@thesunsetreptiles]

as a cal fire fighter it well get worst. been doing it for 10 years and i see it getting worse every year. the weather is changing every year. back in the day we were only getting Santa Ana winds in the fall now we get this in the winter and summer time.

[@raymondfrye9606]

Humans killed all the predators,altered the vegetation and changed the ecological system,all by moving into uninhabited areas and putting up a house.

[@beastkidyt3397]

My older brother is a type two trying to get evaluated for type one and said they are burning way hotter

[@madezra64]

Mad respect to ALL FireFighters, including Inmate FireFighters too. They're very real and are a part of the backbone of wildland firefighting in California. Those are some brave men and women to put their lives on the line despite being incarcerated. And yes, respect even to the dumb ones that do it for the wrong reasons trying to get off the yard. Right or wrong, all these men suffer the same fate in the end when they're fighting fire. Thank you to every FireFighter in the world! You are brave men and women!

[@briansimpkins985]

i did not know about this tragedy until i watched only the brave...the saddest most surprising ending i have ever watched when it comes to a movie....i knew it was based on a true story but did not know it would end that tragic...rip u brave souls

[@KonEl-BlackZero]

The movie was fantastic. I am also a firefighter, but not even close to be a hero like this men. Rest in peace.

[@ryanmcmanus1211]

i think they switched positions because they were told and then once they got down in that canyon they heard the wind had changed and they could not get out of that situation REST IN PEACE BROTHERS REST IN PEACE

[@125southernnh2]

I'll bet you won't need to convince a firefighter of the adverse effects of our changing climate.

[@melancholicstate4ever585]

I just watched the movie based on this story. I didn't know it was true. I cried the hardest i have in months.

[@sandrakaye54]

Miss D.2018 yes. Bear in mind, Ovomit chose to ignore these beautiful and brave individuals.

[@peterf.229]

@@sandrakaye54 uh, fuck off, you ignorant fuck. I heard his address here in Arizona when he spoke of the tragedy. of course your favorite asshole senator also spoke ad nasuem .. he was the worse one to listen to. He should have been convicted of taking bribes in the 1980s.

[@rosierose1917]

This is so tragic, may their souls rest in peace.

[@beanbaby101090]

The supe of the granite mountain hotshots SAW yarnell going to burn. With a knee jerk reaction he called for everyone to move out of the black. MY GUESS was when they actually got out of the black and into where the fire was heading. He realized this was a mistake, but they could not turn back. There wasn't time. So in a last ditched effort they essentially ran and the fire was just to much.

[@HutchinsonSkater]

Removed they didn’t run they diployed

[@jillwerner8133]

@@HutchinsonSkater pretty much the same thing. They had no choice but to deploy due to the fact that they would have been burned alive instead of succumbing to inhalation of 1000 degrees. ....😢

[@beastkidyt3397]

My older brother was there he was a type two not a type one but the got a wind shift in there direction and the flames are two fast to outrun

[@peterf.229]

@@beastkidyt3397 Ive been to the site. the fire burned from a ridge above them to the area they were in rapidly. 3 of them didnt make it into their shelters at all, not that they helped.

[@tarheelblue63nc25]

Berad Sinbad no time to run

[@pauljess2385]

So so very sad for such a tragedy as this! Words cannot describe such a terrible lost of life! I feel for the families left behind!

[@cbrail3006]

My dad is a hot shot

[@haydenpatstone2849]

Matt decoder k

[@mrrecluse7286]

Cool dad dude! Don’t think this could happen to him it’s rare bud

[@beastkidyt3397]

My older brother was a hotshot he was at the yarnell fire part of the the blue ridge hot shots

[@josephnock4367]

Just had the blue ridge hotshots in my store in globe Arizona this morning

[@olivedog1880]

Ur dad is a brave man. Hug him tight

[@RaVenX_exe]

Rest in peace to the Granite mountain Hotshots ♥️

[@1thepner]

Just read the book, "The Fire Line." I can't get it out of my head. To me, the decision to leave the black is a simple one that ordinary non-alpha types would not have made. These guys were fighters. They can't do anymore in their current position. The fire is heading towards Yarnell. If they swing down to a "bomb proof" area (the ranch) they can then get to Yarnell. Get back into the fight. Attack. Versus sitting safe. The mistake? God damned winds down below were moving faster than where they were at up high. Had they felt those winds, no way they go down there.

[@annettethiessen533]

I hear this and my heart jumped out of my chest...i cried i won't lie.i fell for this brave.man.I felt their pain.My Son is a Wildland Firefighter as well here in Globe Az and i cannot even imagine that Trajedy

[@AntonFowler]

The Yarnell Fire is such a tragedy. So many of these fires I understand are preventable, I know this one was started by lightening I believe. Such brave people the Granite Mountain 20. I only discovered this tragedy from watching Only The Brave, it is a sobering and beautiful and tragic film. Such amazing people, my heart goes out to all of those affected and crushed by this tragedy. X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

[@JPF941]

Mann Gulch, Storm King Mountain, and Yarnell are all major loss of life events in the wildland fire service. They all share the same elements. Weather induced fire blow ups that caught crews in bad positions. We need better command and control to support these people if we are going to continue to send them into harms way like this.

[@peterf.229]

that was a point made by the incident report, about the communication, many felt it was pathetic that they were told to get off the radio, however the commander was in charge and was talking to the pilots of an aircraft, and they were not where they were supposed to be. if everyone talked over each other then there would be chaos. And BTW I think that the granite mtn people were trying to tlak to the pilots directly, which they werent supposed to do.

[@DJKATJAAPRADIO]

GOD BLESS ALL FIREFIGHTERS YOU ALL ARE HEROES TO ME

[@dufensmertz1]

Sad story .. Poor blokes and their families. .My heart goes out to them.. It's Happening now In Australia with hundreds of fires burning . One ripped through our property 10 weeks ago.

[@flatheadwarrior]

What saddens me the most and we touched on this in the yearly refresher is that we'll never know why they left that SZ. and today's individual firefighters are gifted with a voice...the voice to say "I don't feel safe with the decisions of my superiors" but we trust our leaders(squad bosses, crew bosses, division supervisor etc.), hoping that their decisions will keep us safe and able to effectively perform our jobs. Any FFT2 or what have you, can turn down any decisions if they don't understand the mission or if they don't feel safe. I want to know if anyone had those doubts when the decision came down to leave the SZ, but instead listened to the boss? So many questions that we'll never know. RIP Granite 19

[@bruiserbrown9258]

MY fire instructor who was a firemen for 40 years has a feeling as he has had this same feeling many times himself on wildfires is that they did not want to sit aside and do nothing they may have thought to themselves, Hey we can do something about this we can stop it why are we just sitting around here and then left the safety zone.

[@jimbojohnny8247]

Thomas Trahan fighting fires is never safe, even during cold trail and demobe even. Trees can't really be assessed correctly by dta. I seen it. I also got to see a fire spin pick up out of nowhere n sounding like a train going through the forest knocking trees down n setting stuff back on fire.

[@ticktock5019]

Jimbo Johnny they saw the winds and fire shift to the south while up in safety zone. They were asked to supply resources down near the town of Yarnell and immediately rejected. They saw the speed in which that monster was moving and had to of known there wasn't time to save Yarnell. Then moments later, they vacated the black and headed right into the path of that evil bitch that was moving 12 mph directly towards the path they were walking. Totally nuts and confusing why in the actual hell they would make such a decision.

[@jillwerner8133]

@@ticktock5019 I guarantee you the supervisor refused and Jesse stead questioned the decision. Like they've been saying... one ego can kill a crew of trusted servants....he should have listened to reason for once. Just like when he refused to listen to his supervisor in charge of their hotshot testing 🔥. He knew he effed up. He needed to practice" humbling," himself. That's a must for most recovering addicts to stay sober... shame he didn't work on that. His wife was right.

[@jillwerner8133]

Rip ERIC MARSH.

[@Dewbys]

I’m 20 and I’ve always wanted to be a wildland fire fighter ever since I was a little kid. My life has taken a few different turns and I ended up in hvac. I wish I could gain the courage to just drop everything and pursue getting into wild land firefighting. I want to know that I can try and help during things like this. I hate sitting back and watching knowing my presence could make a small difference but that’s what matters to me.

[@tony06727]

You are just a pup. Chase your dream, regret is worse than failure. My air conditioner can wait.

[@nighthawk636]

Brave men, strong families

[@richardm1631]

It's a sad day for everyone who fight this wildfire never forget never forgot rest in peace

[@life_of_tiger_6894]

My god these wives! My heart goes out to you all!

[@sonnygilly2567]

thank you Shawn Efran of Efran films for piecing this so well---thank you for doing this---we look forward to your next visit-

[@jbanks4375]

It's absolutely true now, what they say about wildfires, you have to treat them like tornados. Stop sending firefighters in to save houses. They are too destructive and dangerous. Makes no sense to go into a firestorm, when you stay out of a rainstorm (tornado). My condolences to these families that lost their loved ones. "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord".

[@amandasieben7077]

We have job do we know about danger job is

[@ogmiossoimgo696]

Los Angeles was called by the Spanish the bay of smokes. They accused the Indians of deliberately starting fires in the hills, not realizing that this is a natural part of California and slowing them down only increases their severity. The problem is too many people living in too many places that they should not be living. Flood planes and the mountains are beautiful but it is your responsibility when you get flooded or burnt out.

[@peterf.229]

this due to something called an inversion, LA is a bowl and so smoke and bad air gets stuck there so in times before air polltion was invert smoke from wildfires instead got trapped/.