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

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

"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?

To all you brave souls, salute

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!!❤❤️‍🔥🚒

Thank you for your service. Enormous respect and love

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. ❤️❤️❤️

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

It was 2013 and they couldn't even use GPS to tell the plane where they were. This is really ridiculous on so many levels.

Honor to these MEN.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

R.i.p brothers! Thank you so much

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......

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.

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

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 . ❤

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

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🤍

This movie tore my heart out. So sad for the families....

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

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

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

Very sad story, prayers to the 19 brave souls out there ! God bless the families, especially their children ...

My heart breaks for the families.

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

OMG MY HEART IS WITH ALL OFF YOU

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

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 ...

Salute,, no words to say..RESPECT

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.

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

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

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.

I remember this too tragic event, seems so recent to me. Blessed be to the victims family members.

Mi más sentido pésame a las familias y amigos de estos 19 Héroes!!! Honor y Fuerza.

Brave men, strong families

R. I. P. Guys. Thoughts and prayers to their loved ones

They shouldn’t even be sending humans to fight a fire that cannot be contained

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.

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

You broke my heart

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

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

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

Rest in peace to the Granite mountain Hotshots ♥️

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

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

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.

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

So sad. So many young lives. 😢😭

GOD BLESS ALL FIREFIGHTERS YOU ALL ARE HEROES TO ME

My dad is a hot shot

This story is so sad even after all these years.🤘🏽✌🏽🙏🏽

Blessings to the families ❤