At one point, Roxanne noticed that the Sawmill Fire had doubled in size overnight. When it came time to vote on the benefits extension, his was the only dissenting vote. 6. They died together. "The city has fully complied with all of the laws and employment policies that direct survivor benefits," the statement said. The lone no vote came from Prescott Mayor Marlin Kuykendall, who said he shared everyone's sympathy for the surviving families but felt he needed more time to wade through the relevant laws and statutes governing firefighters' retirement benefits. the local fire chief, Duane Steinbrink (Jeff Bridges, in a performance It was unclear exactly how the crew became trapped. as the story, no prexisting idea or self-determined material that It turns out that, just a few weeks after the tragedy, one widow, A few feet away, someone had placed a sign that read, "Real Heroes Don't Wear Capes." Juliann Ashcraft's husband, Andrew, was one of 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots firefighters who lost their lives when a fire they were battling suddenly changed direction and engulfed them. A couple of miles away, Colleen Turbyfill was scanning Facebook when a news alert popped up about a Hotshot crew. They talked about a freak storm, and said the men appeared to have done everything by the book. In love: Juliann, right, is pictured with Andrew Ashcraft, left, in happier times, Heartbreaking: Not only was Juliann Ashcraft, pictured, devastated to lose her husband, she is now facing raising their four children without the benefits she is entitled to, In a statement to CBS News, Prescott officials said the city had 'fully complied with all of the laws and employment polices that direct survivor benefits.'. When Travis was in kindergarten, he drew a picture of a fire truck and titled it, "When I grow up. The art of storytelling is treacherous, and the new film Only the Overnight the blaze grew to 200 acres, and by Sunday morning officials were transitioning to a larger command team to oversee firefighting efforts and calling in more personnel. Roxanne buried Billy in the veterans sections of a cemetery in Marana, with full military honors, not far from where they lived. Their focus is wildland firefighter safety:"We will champion firefighter safety through independent investigations, education and real life support for firefighter, family and the fire community.". precision of its form, giving rise to its emotional efficiency and Market data provided by Factset. Worried sick. She was eating pizza with friends when the boy rushed up to her and asked if she could sew a button back on his shirt. On Wednesday, 12 of the 19 families sued the state, its forestry division and the incident commanders in charge when and before the deaths occurred, pushing to find out how a seemingly routine assignment could have gone so wrong for an elite group of wilderness firefighters, the Granite Mountain Hotshots. Andrew Ashcraft texted this photo to his wife, Juliann, just before he perished in a blaze Sunday. Andrew Ashcraft was only in his third season with the Hotshots, but he'd been working toward the job for years. Blue Ridge had helped battle the blaze that killed Billy and the hotshot crew. peoplewhite peoplego out of their way to help each other. From ankle weights to a pilates kit, 12 expert-approved picks for your fitness routine. YARNELL, Ariz. Juliann Ashcraft had just put the kids down for a nap when her cellphone buzzed. Ashcraft's widow, Juliann Ashcraft, who has been the most prominent family member fighting to win full benefits for the families of the seasonal Hotshots, didn't testify at the hearing, but. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, 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. who is also Donuts most vicious harasser. 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As they unloaded the truck, Roxanne could smell the fire. Roxanne had married Billy in 2008, but they had known each other since high school. PRESCOTT, Ariz. Before dawn, Juliann Ashcraft kissed her husband goodbye as he left . Most of the fire activity had been restricted to the north end of the blaze. Off in the distance, from behind a ridge line, billowed a sickly, blackish-brown plume spreading like a bruise across the graying sky. Her husband was in his third season with the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew out of Prescott, Arizona. At 2 p.m., he saw fire close to the elementary school and to a few homes, but Lawton still believed Yarnell to be safe. Death toll: The Yarnell wildfire is the deadliest wildfire involving firefighters in the U.S. for at least 30 years. We grieve for the city,' he said at a news conference on June 30. Then his cellphone rang. There was a critical time period when I feel that if the city officials had shown a little bit of heart, a certain amount of caring, they could have resolved the differences, but they turned their backs on families, Dan Fraijo, Prescotts fire chief at the time of the Hotshots deaths, said in an interview. received by the families of permanent or full-time employees. If State Highway 83 had been open, it would have taken an hour and a half or so. Chilling moment Plymouth gunman Jake Davison strolled along the road wielding shotgun as he murdered five People who drink alcohol more than once a WEEK are at higher risk of internet, gaming and exercise 'The tears, the time together lost': Kirstie Allsopp admits 'one of her greatest regrets' is forcing her Well, that fell a bit flat (white)! pitch in, and, in order to get his life together, applies for a job with displays of the arts peculiarities and pitfalls. Eric, for his part, is in a Harry is an ex-Marine with friends who are firefighters, so he, too, was tracking the fire. At the time, Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said the 19 firefighters were a part of the city's fire department. They were heroes in our home, they were heroes in our community," she said. Because of the dangers of the job, he would always tell us that he loved us.'. She and Billy used to go to nearby Patagonia often, to hike and fish, taking State Highway 83. These men worked together," she said. stretched out over more than 40,000 acres. is the sole survivor. Only the Brave about Prescotts point of pride that the Granite Jeremy Hunt is mocked over toe-curling 'inflation explainer' video with Aldi and Lidl shoppers face highest inflation hikes: Cost of basic groceries rise by more than 20% at the Is inflation FINALLY on the way down? We are no longer accepting comments on this article. I dreamed of Daddy Billy.. It claimed property as well as lives, destroying more than 100 homes. These men lived together. 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Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar and George Santos receive House committee seats, Suspects sought in "massacre" at California home that left 6 dead. 'I asked, "Will you be sleeping out there tonight?"' ", "I want to be a fire man," he wrote. she told the Today show early last month as she struggled to hold back the tears. From his lookout post, McDonough saw the shift in winds and the fire suddenly coming toward him. Lawton even joked with some new residents watching the flames from their front yards. The She told the Today show how, apart from his family, fighting fires with the Granite Mountain Hotshots was his life. discipline and the book studies and becomes an integral part of the He can be reached at features@ap.org. its emphasis on individual initiative and private conflicts in isolation 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. As the Hotshots attacked the blaze from the ground and aircraft dropped retardant from above, Yarnell school board member Eric Lawton was returning home from a trip. Only the Brave is filled with conspicuous touches of heartiness, of He responded that he wished for that too. Gov. In high school, he'd spend hours after classes studying fire science. become close friends, and Mac matures, largely through Donuts Andrew Ashcraft's widow wept in the audience as the Prescott, Ariz., retirement board decided her family deserved full-time survivor payments. "I vote yes.". 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. political, as Fernanda Santos reported in 2014, in the Times. By nightfall, the fire was just 15 acres in size, though the town fire department warned residents: "Be on high alert if the wind changes direction.". In 2015, Roxanne had joinedJuliann Ashcraft, whose husband, Andrew, also was killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire, and Andrews mother, Deborah Pfingston, to formthe Wildland Firefighter Guardian Institute, a non-profit advocacy group. With that, their exchanges stopped. To expand the content of Only the Brave would entail expanding its The couple was still playful. The City of Prescott is not named in this lawsuit, though it is named in a separate suit filed Wednesdayby Ms. Ashcraft, Ms. Warneke and Amanda Misner, another widow. Is humanity doomed? To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. With their deaths, the department lost 20 per cent of its members. . mothers house. Roxanne told them about the non-profit group. Autopsies of the 19 firefighters have been conducted, and an investigation into what happened here begun. When one would step outside the house for something, the other would lock the door and not open it until the exiled party performed a dance in front of the living room window. It still did not look as catastrophic as it turned out to be, but it was interesting to have that perspective, to know what life was like for him on the fire lines and know what he risked day in and day out.. It turns out, however, their families may not receive the same compensation. Back in Prescott, Juliann Ashcraft was watching television with her children Ryder, 6; Shiloh, 4; Tate Andrew, 2; and Choice, 1. The unfamiliar truck pulled up to the Sonoita-Elgin Fire District station, where crews were stopping to pick up supplies on their way to the Sawmill Fire. The elite team, Ashcraft said, were like a family. Ashcraft twice. Read more here. The script, by Ken Nolan and Eric Warren Singer, puts exceptional Juliann told "Today" that Andrew replied . 'We're devastated. There was silence for a moment. Sean Kauffman, a former Granite Mountain Hotshot, paying his respects. Thats for your daddy, she told her. Firefighters battling a blaze in Yarnell, Ariz., last year. women who lost their husbands in the disaster. July 2, 2013 12 AM PT. 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. Along the way, moods changed and perceptions shifted as the families laid bare their demands for answers about the deaths of a crew skilled on fighting fires in the wild and for fairness over the benefits for the wives and children left behind. Juliann found some comfort in that, and also in learning that her husband and his friends were never left alone. 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