The fire that swept over the Granite Mountain Hotshots left Juliann Ashcraft a widow. You gotta be very physically fit, and you gotta like it, gotta like the hard work.'. Juliann said she sent her husband a photo of their four children, all under 6, swimming. He responded that he wished for that too. Dry grass near the communities of Yarnell and Glen Isla fed the fast-moving blaze. Southwest incident team leader Clay Templin said the team and its commanders were following safety protocols, but it appears the fire's erratic nature simply overwhelmed them. Taking Vitamin D each day could cut your chances of getting dementia, study claims. I was able to beat back the anxiety, she said. The city of Prescott told her that full family survivor benefits will only be awarded to the families of full-time employees. The fire has forced the closure of parts of state Route 89. Juliann Ashcraft sobbed as she recounted the bravery of her beloved husband and his close unit of highly-trained 'hotshot' colleagues, who were overcome by the ferocious flames in Yarnell Hill. "As shocked as I was that my husband went to work and never came home, I'm equally shocked in how the city has treated our family since then," she said. Prescott High School physical education teacher and coach Lou Beneitone taught many of the Hotshots, and remembered Ashcraft as a fitness-oriented student. These are people who risk their own lives every day," Roxanne said. Roxanne remembered how Billy and the other firefighterstired of MREs and protein bars. Juliann Ashcraft is as sure of that as she is sure an outpouring of support from across the country saved her life when her husband died two years ago. She has anew baby brother, Owen. 'They died heroes,' she told azcentral.com as she wept. At the time, Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said the 19 firefighters were a part of the city's fire department. In the months after the fire, there would be an investigation. The fire has also destroyed an estimated 200 homes. Family photographs reveal a picture perfect family as Juliann and Andrew are seen grinning and kissing, as well as laughing along with their four young children. Billie Grace is headstrong and independent. In an. You should have seen the appreciation in their eyes and also the empathy, she said. With his widow weeping in the audience, city officials voted Thursday to award full survivor and retirement benefits to the family of one of the part-time Arizona Hotshot firefighters who died fighting the devastating Yarnell Hill Fire almost a year ago. There was silence for a moment. "That's why I never worried for their safety. 'I asked, "Will you be sleeping out there tonight?"' They fought fires together. juliann ashcraft new husband. She would whisper stories to Billie Grace about her daddy long before she could possibly understand. Read:Couple's Wedding Forced to Relocate After Chapel Is Destroyed in Deadly Wildfire. Roxanne had married Billy in 2008, but they had known each other since high school. 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads. The elite team, Ashcraft said, were like a family. 'The best person I know. He listened intently as she recounted her dream. These men lived together. Juliann Ashcraft's husband, Andrew, was one of 19 firefighters killed battling a wildfire near Yarnell, Arizona on June 30. They died together - doing what they loved.'. Together, the four of them are making a life together. What's in U.S. foods that Europe deems unfit for human consumption? Juliann Ashcraft, wife of late firefighter Andrew Ashcraft, receives a U.S. flag during a memorial service in July. In memory of 19 fire fighters, it said. Michael MacKenzie, who was once the captain of Moreno Valley, California, said his son Chris died in the flames. In 2015, she was caught off guard when she got a whiff of the Finger Rock Fire in Tucson from a distance and had a panic attack. She said she learned of her husband's death while watching the news with their four children. I tell them how much he loves them and that he's with them. . Blue Ridge had helped battle the blaze that killed Billy and the hotshot crew. Ashcraft, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was honored to be a member of the Hotshot crew, and 'he just had a really sweet spirit about him,' Elise Smith, a Prescott, Arizona, resident, told The Deseret News of Salt Lake City. We just lost 19 of the finest people you'll ever meet.'. When they were found on Sunday, all 19 shelters were deployed but some of the men's bodies were inside their individual shelters, while others were outside - indicating just how suddenly they were overcome by the flames. In the end, the house Billy had dreamed of, the one he promised Roxanne, was built by firefighters, friends and neighbors, and complete strangers who donated money, time, labor and supplies. The smell of smoke could still make Roxanne panic. How did this happen? She responded by asking whether he and his crew would be sleeping in the field that night. "The city has fully complied with all of the laws and employment policies that direct survivor benefits," the statement said. 'Our entire crew was lost,' Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo told reporters. To join, candidates must complete a boot camp-style test to prove they are in peak physical condition. Because of the dangers of the job, he would always tell us that he loved us. Mrs Ashcraft sobbed as she recounted the bravery of her beloved husband and his close unit of highly-trained 'hotshot' colleagues, who were overcome by the ferocious flames in Yarnell. After a two-day hearing, the retirement board of the city of Prescott voted to award the enhanced benefits to the family of Andrew Ashcraft, who perished last June along with 12 other seasonal or part-time members and six full-time members of the elite Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew in the largest loss of firefighters' lives since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The comments below have not been moderated. Juliann Ashcraft lost her husband, Andrew . Holding back tears, Juliann Ashcraft described text messages and photos she and her husband exchanged just before he died.Nineteen men, members of an elite "Hotshot" team, died Sunday battling the out-of-control wildfire Sunday outside Yarnell, Ariz. Juliann Ashcraft's husband, Andrew, was one of 19 firefighters killed battling a wildfire near Yarnell, Arizona on June 30. Andrew Ashcraft was a firefighter, a member of an elite hotshot team. ", Juliann Ashcraft told Evans about her loss, saying of her husband: "You know there are moments when I think of him and I smile because I love him so much and then I feel guilty for smiling, because I'm still in this shock. Roxanne still tells Billie Grace stories about her father, and Billie Grace tells them to Harry. Holding back tears, Juliann Ashcraft described text messages and photos she and her husband exchanged just before he died. Owen, born in March, is a content baby. She told them she had brought fruit. 'It may be days or longer before an investigation reveals how this tragedy occurred, but the essence we already know in our hearts: fighting fires is dangerous work. "They lived together, they fought fires together, and they died together doing what they loved.". With the detour, it was more than two hours before they got there. Watch Carter Evans' full report at the top of this article. Mike Krumboltz. 'It had to be a perfect storm in order for this to happen,' Prescott Fire Department spokesman Wade Ward told the Today show last month. That's why he did what he did, because he want to protect the community where he lived. Andrew Ashcraft, 29, was one of the 19 . Highly trained: Members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots (pictured last year) had been fighting wildfire in New Mexico and elsewhere in Arizona, Flames: Fire crews can be seen as a wildfire burns homes in the Glenn Ilah area near Yarnell, Arizona Sunday, Tragedy: Winds from a thunderstorm fanned the flames toward the tragic 19 hotshots, but fire chiefs did not pull out their men in time, Destroyed: The report said that by keeping crews on the mountain they were prioritizing the safety of property before the lives of its firefighters. I feel like we need to do something for these guys, she said. 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. As a result of the dispute, there were two separate memorial. She said she had been texting her husband throughout the day - with him telling her how much he loved and missed her, and how proud he was of their young children - until he abruptly stopped. Through my experience, I have learned life is a gift. Billy had served four years in the Marine Corps, including a tour in Iraq. CBS News has seen paperwork showing Mr Ashcraft did infact earn a full-time salary as a firefighter for the city of Prescott. Please enter valid email address to continue. It cost about $320. "They never think it will happen to them.. 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Not this time. Right now, we're in crisis. 'And we'll miss them. she told the Today show as she struggled to hold back the tears. / CBS News. ', Worry: Alora Slemboski consoles Nancy Myers, who fears she lost her home, outside the Red Cross Shelter, Remembrance: Volunteer citizen patrol officer Seymour Petrovsky stands guard at the gate, Overwhelmed: Local resident Bob Hoskovec says a prayer as he kneels outside the gate on Monday, Mourning: Toby Schultz pauses after laying flowers at the gate of the Granite Mountain Hot Shot Crew fire station in Prescott, Arizona on Monday morning. 'He had some athletic ability in him and he was a go-getter, too. It turns out that, just a few weeks after the tragedy, one widow, More than once, Mr. Kuykendall had argued against extending benefits for Ms. Ashcraft and her children, telling The Associated Press last fall that it was very obvious she was motivated by greed. They took Billie Grace with them. The highly-skilled team was overtaken by a fast-moving blaze stoked by hot winds on Sunday. "They all laid out there that night.". Nineteen men, members of an elite "Hotshot" team, died Sunday battling the out-of-control wildfire Sunday outside Yarnell, Ariz. She says her husband and his fellow firefighters loved what they did and shares how she and her four children are coping with the loss.July 2, 2013. The devastation left by 'firestorm' that killed 19 Arizona Tears as 1,000 people gather at emotional memorial for 19 TOUGH BUT KIND: WHO ARE THE GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS? Andrew Ashcraft, 29, of Prescott, Ariz., was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and one of 19 firefighters who died battling a fire that swept through Yarnell, Ariz . Her own wedding anniversary is just a few weeks away.". (CBS News) PRESCOTT, Ariz. -- Five weeks ago, 19 men were killed fighting a wildfire near Yarnell, Ariz. While her husband was on a break during the early stages. King World Productions Inc. 2023 Inside Edition Inc. and CBS interactive Inc., Paramount companies. 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.. She told the Today show how, apart from his family, fighting fires with the Granite Mountain Hotshots was his life. She and Billy used to go to nearby Patagonia often, to hike and fish, taking State Highway 83. Ashcraft did not think it would be this much of an issue. Juliann Ashcraft, the widow of slain Arizona firefighter Andrew Ashcraft, talked about the final text messages she was sent by her husband earlier this week just before he died. "When I saw them, I just fell to the floor, because I knew," she said. They have also lived in Elk, WA and Chattaroy, WA. Grass near the communities of Yarnell and Glen Isla fed the fast-moving blaze all of the dangers of the.... 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