Editor’s note: As the bodies of 19 Prescott, Ariz., Hotshot firefighters were brought home in preparation for tomorrow’s memorial, Chief Adam K. Thiel reflects on the magnitude of the loss of life and the power of wildland fire.
Like many of you I’m sure, I couldn’t believe the news when I got the first call from Arizona two Sundays ago.
Eighteen wildland firefighters killed in Prescott; then 19? Almost an entire hotshot crew?
Too terrible to accept. There must be a mistake; I must have heard something wrong. Missing, maybe, but not dead? One is too much, but 19!
As we now know, unfortunately, Yarnell Hill has taken its place alongside other national tragedies with names like Mann Gulch and Storm King Mountain.
While the majority of my career has been in the urban and suburban realm, I spent just enough time in Arizona to gain an appreciation of the speed, power and unpredictability of wildland fires.
I remember one fire where we lost communication with a crew for about 3 minutes; it seemed like an eternity. When they came back on the radio — safe and sound, fortunately — they said they had almost been trapped and burned over by a sudden wind shift. It happened incredibly fast, and despite all the assembled handcrews, aerial assets, engines and dozers on the scene.
If you’ve never had the experience of seeing, and feeling, a fast-moving wildland fire up close, it’s hard to understand how something like this could happen. But it can, and it did.
It’s much too early to understand all the factors involved in this horrific outcome. Our attention now is rightly focused on mourning the loss, supporting the survivors, and honoring the memory of these fallen heroes.
Stay safe.
