So on a Wednesday,she and Harry went to Costcoto buy fresh fruit. 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. 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.. They have also lived in Elk, WA and Chattaroy, WA. The highly-skilled team was overtaken by a fast-moving blaze stoked by hot winds on Sunday. 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. As she kept watch on the Sawmill Fire,Roxanne sent a Facebook message to Deborah. . 'It still did not look as catastrophic as it turned out to be,' she said. July 2, 2013, 3:05 PM. Eighteen of the 19 firefighters who lost their lives were part of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, an elite firefighting team from Prescott, Arizona. "I want to be able to just be mourning my husband, be supporting. 'We could sure use some rain over here,' he said. The fire has also destroyed an estimated 200 homes. Another firefighter's son lost his life; Capt. You could pretty much see, from young freshman all the way, he was going to be physically active. The crew had battled fires in New Mexico and Arizona in recent weeks. There was silence for a moment. Juliann Ashcraft said she learned that her husband, Andrew, 29, was among the dead by watching the news with her four children. Hes the one who noticed a banner hanging high up on the brick wall inside the fire station and pointed it out to Roxanne. Andrew Ashcraft was a firefighter, a member of an elite hotshot team. We love them.'. What she couldn't explain to her children -- ages 6, 4, 2, and 1 -- was how their father died with 18 of his fellow Hotshots in fire shelters, a last resort. Juliann Ashcraft sobbed as she recounted the bravery of her beloved husband Andrew and his close unit of highly-trained 'hotshot' colleagues, who were overcome by the ferocious flames in Yarnell . It was upgraded from a Type 2 fire to Type 1, the most complex. Heartbroken: Juliann Ashcraft, cries alongside her father Tom Ashcraft outside of the Granite Mountain Hotshot fire station in Prescott on Monday July 1, Struggle: Juliann Ashcraft, left, will only get a one-off payment of $328,000 and workers' compensation. 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. 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. It didnt come. Abandoned blue sleeping bag, tents and several wooden shelters are found in woodland close to where police Runaway aristocrat and her boyfriend were spotted stocking up on supplies at food bank in Brighton without Taxpayers are left 31,000 out of pocket after council auctions off its Queen's Jubilee wicker corgi statues School places in chaos: Parents' desperation as one in three children miss out on preferred secondary - with Tragedy of the peroxide Tinkerbell: Ahead of a new documentary, ALISON BOSHOFF recalls how TV siren Paula Don't just stick to the Malbec! Whats the point of living a life if you arent happy?. "They loved what they did. Her husband Andrew was 29 years old. ', Heartbroken: Juliann Ashcraft wept as she paid tribute to her fallen husband Andrew on the Today show, Final moments: Mrs Ashcraft shared the final image Andrew Ashcraft texted her before the 19 firefighters were killed by the flames. "When I saw them, I just fell to the floor, because I knew," she said. were killed fighting a wildfire near Yarnell, Ariz. "They lived together, they fought fires together, and they died together doing what they loved.". "They died heroes," she said, crying and wiping tears away from her eyes. 'And we'll miss them. the adventure of the mysterious picture summary, coda shop myanmar, what is a private savings note, scott reese nhl she's out of my league, eric church house north carolina, kelly kinicki city on a hill, jennifer riordan settlement, harriman state park dogs, outrigger . 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Billie Grace is headstrong and independent. Mr Ashcraft also sent his wife a picture of their view of the smoke and flames from his team's lunch spot on Sunday, and Juliann said that she was not particularly concerned when she saw it. Roxanne remembered how Billy and the other firefighterstired of MREs and protein bars. Juliann Ashcraft, the widow of Andrew Ashcraft, speaks during an interview at her home in Queen Creek, Arizona. To learn more about Only The Brave and how you can support the wildland firefighter communities through the Granite Mountain Fund, click here. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. She said she learned of her husband's death while watching the news with their four children. 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.'. Ms. Ashcraft said Thursday that not . 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. Prescott High School physical education teacher and coach Lou Beneitone taught many of the Hotshots, and remembered Ashcraft as a fitness-oriented student. 'This is as dark a day as I can remember,' Gov. Another, Roxanne Warneke, who lives just outside Tucson, has. News: Juliann Ashcraft, pictured right, learned of her husband's death while watching the news, Smiles: The loving couple had four children together, and Mrs Ashcraft is battling to kept afloat as bills mount, Doting dad: Ashcraft, pictured, with two of his four kids, was a hero, 'They died heroes,' she told azcentral.com as she wept. I wish for the world could know that they lost this army of honorable men, she said.On the day of the fire, the father of four texted how much he loved his family and shared a photo of the wildfire as the hotshots moved into harms way. The unit was established in 2002, and the city also has 75 suppression team members. They remove brush, trees and anything that might burn in the direction of homes and cities. It was unclear exactly how the crew became trapped. These men lived together. He was one of 19 firefighters who died a year ago in the Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona. 'Quite literally, my bills are being paid by the good people of the world who are giving donations, because the city of Prescott isn't doing anything for us,' she told the TV station. Nearly the whole teams was wiped out by the fire, Devastated: Nancy Myers speaks to her boss to let him know that she won't be able to make it into work, Tears: A group of girls cry after placing flowers at a make-shift memorial outside the Prescott fire station, Loss: Flowers hang on the fence outside the Granite Mountain Hot Shot Crew fire station. President Obama called the firefighters heroes and highly skilled professionals who 'put themselves in harm's way to protect the lives and property of fellow citizens they would never meet.'. In memory of 19 fire fighters, it said. The names of all 19 members of the elite firefighting crew who perished in the blaze were released late on Monday, after their bodies were retrieved from the mountain where they died. Two children feared kidnapped after their murdered mother 'I thought they were sleeping but they didn't open their King Charles hosts von der Leyen at Windsor Castle, Police: Urgent search for Constance Marten's missing baby, Shocking video shows machete fight in broad daylight, Putin spy plane before being 'destroyed by pro-Ukraine Belarus group', Gabor Mat: No Jewish state without oppressing local population, Amplified jet stream could lead to 'disruptive snow in places', Pupils take to TikTok as they stage protest at Shenfield High School, Putin orders intelligence service to find 'scum' who oppose him, Moment supermarket cashier is attacked at work in New York, Police search allotment sheds for Constance Marten's missing baby, Huge urgent police search for missing baby of Constance Marten, Dashcam captures moment two cars collide on a roundabout. Juliann Ashcraft is looking forward to July 1, the day after the one-year anniversary of the wildfire disaster that took the lives of her husband Andrew and 18 other members of the Granite. The fire that swept over the Granite Mountain Hotshots left Juliann Ashcraft a widow. She and 18 other families still won't have fathers and husbands around for birthdays and holidays. Watch Live: Closing arguments begin in double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, Intel review says "very unlikely" foreign adversary behind "Havana Syndrome", Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Watch Live: Garland testifies amid ongoing special counsel investigations, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. / CBS News. "I don't know that that's sunk in for them, but I've not stopped thinking about that. As the bodies of the Granite Mountain Hotshots were recovered, it emerged that the team's 20th member survived as he was moving the crew's truck when the flames overcame his comrades. A contagious smile, a heart of gold. He had followed in the footsteps of his father, Mike MacKenzie (left), who was once the fire captain of Moreno Valley, California, Tragedy: Mackenzie, pictured left and right, died as the men tried to climb into emergency shelters, Killed: Travis Turbyfill, pictured with his family, also died with his team on the mountainside, Fallen: Scott Norris, pictured, was one of the 19 victims, Disbelief: David Turbyfill is comforted by his wife Shari as he mourns his son Travis Turbyfill on Monday, President Obama called the firefighters heroes and highly skilled professionals who 'put themselves in harm's way to protect the lives and property of fellow citizens they would never meet.'. But the city of Prescott, where the Hotshots were based, is now claiming he was a seasonal worker, despite him working a 40 hour week year round, and denying Mrs Ashcraft full benefits. For a long time, Roxanne didnt understandeither, how a highly qualified crew, well-trained and disciplinedby all accounts, with a lookout and regular protocols, could have found itself trapped in a canyon with no way out. City officials declined multiple requests for an interview, but Monday they sent a statement. In 2015, Roxanne had joined Juliann Ashcraft, whose husband, Andrew, also was killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire, and Andrew's mother, Deborah Pfingston, to form the Wildland Firefighter. Last year, Deborah, who lives in Prescott, delivered fresh fruit and beef jerky to crews working on the Tenderfoot Fire in Yarnell. With their deaths, the department lost 20 per cent of its members. Nineteen men, members of an elite "Hotshot" team, died Sunday battling the out-of-control wildfire Sunday outside Yarnell, Ariz. 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. The 4-1 vote came at the same time that an army of . Nineteen firefighters were killed, Proud: Kevin Woyjeck, right, is pictured with his father, Los Angeles County Fire Capt. 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. August 5, 2013 / 7:54 PM The property offer sweet spot! Click here to share your story. But the 29-year-old still sees her husband's influence in her own life and in the lives of her four children. And she wasglad she brought Billie Grace. Juliann Ashcraft, an LDS wife and mother, appeared on the "Today" show and CBS news Tuesday morning to discuss her husband, who has been hailed as a hero. "Now I have four kids and myself, and I don't know what I'm going to do.". Claire and Robert Caldwell were newlyweds. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. These are people who risk their own lives every day," Roxanne said. Asked what probably went through his mind when he pulled out his fire shelter, Juliann Ashcraft said: "I think probably in that last moment, we have four babies.
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