Saturday marks the 5th anniversary of the tragic deaths of 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who perished in the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013. A State Forestry Division report says intense winds caused the fast-moving fire to turn and overrun the hotshot crew, cutting off their evacuation route. The report also says the hotshots were deploying shelters when the fire overtook them. And with temperatures in excess of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the deployment site was not survivable. The National Fire Protection Association says it was the greatest loss of life for firefighters in a wildfire since 1933, the deadliest wildfire of any kind since 1991, and the greatest loss of firefighters in the United States since the 2001 September 11th attacks. Designed to honor the 19, the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew Learning and Tribute Center opened yesterday at the Prescott Gateway Mall.
