and turned up an entire realm of activity thats integral to their lives The shocking treatment comes five weeks afterthe mother-of-four learned by watching the news that her firefighter husband had perished in the intense blaze that burned scores of homes to the ground. Strangely, he did not draw the typical red hook-and-ladder truck, but rather a pale green vehicle that closely resembles the type the Granite Mountain crew used. Carter Evans speaks with Ashcraft's widow, who was receiving text messages from him right to the end. Roxanne tried to prepare herself for the smell. My Daddy Billy? Billie Grace asked. She and Billy used to go to nearby Patagonia often, to hike and fish, taking State Highway 83. Mr. "This is where people come to pay their respects.". Back in Prescott, Juliann Ashcraft was watching television with her children Ryder, 6; Shiloh, 4; Tate Andrew, 2; and Choice, 1. Brave is spare, clear, direct storytellingand the tightly bounded Helicopter crash near Ukraine kindergarten kills children and top officials, U.S. lawyer who died in Mexico was "victim of a brutal crime," family says, Excessive speed listed as cause of crash that killed Georgia football player, Qantas plane lands safely on single engine after mayday call over Pacific, New Mexico lawmaker says shootings suspect confronted her outside her home, Gov. The fire that swept over the Granite Mountain Hotshots left Juliann Ashcraft a widow. Juliann Ashcraft said her husband took on a new position as "lead saw" this season and that crew chief Eric Marsh, who also died in the fire, had pursued benefits for him. The smell of smoke could still make Roxanne panic. Ashcraft did not think it would be this much of an issue. 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. Andrew Ashcraft texted this photo to his wife, Juliann, just before he perished in a blaze Sunday. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Firefighter Joe Thurston. The criteria were the same as those applied She is Roxanne Preston now, having married a man named Harry Preston last summer. These men lived together. Ashcraft's widow, Juliann Ashcraft, who has been the most prominent family member fighting to win full benefits for the families of the seasonal Hotshots, didn't testify at the hearing, but. Her husband was in his third season with the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew out of Prescott, Arizona. And then another, and another. "I said to them, 'My husband was a full-time employee, he went to work full-time for you,'" she said, "and their response to me was, 'Perhaps there was a communication issue in your marriage.'". '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. Harry stayed close to her. It was someone from Blue Ridge who had picked up the crew's lookout, the only survivor. He listened intently as she recounted her dream. The father of four always seized every opportunity to call or text Juliann while out on a job even if it meant hiking to the top of a mountain to get a signal. 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.'. Confused: Juliann Ashcraft, pictured, is fighting with the city of Prescott for the benefits she is being denied, Children: Mrs Ashcraft, pictured, was left to raise her four children alone. 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 . meaning of their own andas in Only the Bravewhat filmmakers leave People keep saying that were in it for the money, but what they dont understand is that we married our husbands when they had nothing, and wed give every penny weve received to have them back, Ms. Warneke said. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. complete the jobs that they have started. The fire was sparked by a lightning strike on Friday and spread to at least 8,400 acres amid triple-digit temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions. possibility that there might be anyone besides white people in Prescott). The City of Prescott now claims he was a seasonal worker, despite him . They are also receiving free tuition at Arizona universities for their children, in addition to private donations, which have surpassed $4 million, according to a recent tally by the 100 Club, a charity that benefits firefighters and public safety workers. "I will fire fight the fires.". Money has nonetheless become a sharp wedge, driving divisions between the City of Prescott and its fire department, among residents, and between some of those residents and the families that persist even as the first anniversary of the tragedy, this coming Monday, draws near. In memory of 19 fire fighters, it said. CBS News obtained paperwork that shows Ashcraft did earn a full-time salary. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. the company died, on June 30, 2013, while fighting a wildfire, and Donut She responded by asking whether he and his crew would be sleeping in the field that night. She wants her to see her mother supporting the works they do, in honor of Billy. couples stifled conflicts burst forth with some trenchant writing Ashcraft twice. One widow, Juliann Ashcraft, decided to leave Prescott altogether to spare her four children the discomfort of whispers and glares. The battles that the Only the Brave is filled with conspicuous touches of heartiness, of Hotshots, heroic fighters of wildfires in Arizona. 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Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar and George Santos receive House committee seats, Suspects sought in "massacre" at California home that left 6 dead. In June 2013, when the fire swept through Yarnell, Roxanne was pregnant with their first child, a daughter, born six months after Billy died. during previous hearings where benefits were awarded to three other The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. who is also Donuts most vicious harasser. Still dressed in his fire gear and reeking of smoke, he had wrapped Colleen in a bear hug and told her not to worry. Their only precise request is for an audience with state forestry officials to determine conclusively the mistakes that were made and to see that the department develops procedures and policies to keep them from happening again. Click here to share your story. Harry will ask, How did you sleep?, I slept good, she told him. 'The best person I know. . Juliann Ashcraft's husband, Andrew, was one of 19 firefighters killed battling a wildfire near Yarnell, Arizona on June 30. It was about 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 30, 2013 when Juliann Ashcraft started getting alarming phone messages from friends. You should have seen the appreciation in their eyes and also the empathy, she said. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. 'And we'll miss them. Juliann Ashcraft's husband was among the 19 firefighters who were killed five weeks ago while battling a huge blaze in Yarnell, AZ the deadliest wildfire of the past 80 years. Billie Grace is headstrong and independent. Yes, Roxanne told her. nickname Donut), but Donut masters the necessary tough physical Relatively little has been known about the Presidents father, whose story reveals a familys fraught relationship with money, class, and alcohol. As a teenager, he attended fire camps. Another, Roxanne Warneke, who lives just outside Tucson, has. Because shewants her daughter to respect fire, to be mindful of it, but not to be afraid. Jan. "too bad lunch was an MRE," the text concluded. the rugged, volatile, insightful, deeply capable superintendent of a Together, the four of them are making a life together. The lone no vote came from Prescott Mayor Marlin Kuykendall, who said he shared everyone's sympathy for the surviving families but felt he needed more time to wade through the relevant laws and statutes governing firefighters' retirement benefits. Still, at first, officials determined this blaze to be small, posing no immediate threat to Yarnell's 700 residents. The elite team, Ashcraft said, were like a family. that were being denied them, city officials fueled only hostility, His new family refused to leave her behind. He was on a fire in Yarnell, a small town about 30 miles to the south, but there hadn't been a cause for concern. These disputes soon grew more bitter, more complicated, and more All rights reserved. Juliann Ashcraft, widow of Andrew Ashcraft, one of the 19 fallen firefighters from the Yarnell Hill Fire, was one of the most outspoken proponents arguing that the 13 seasonal members of the Granite Mountain Hotshot crew deserved full-time benefits. CBS News has seen paperwork showing Mr Ashcraft did infact earn a full-time salary as a firefighter for the city of Prescott. 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. As they unloaded the truck, Roxanne could smell the fire. Hot shots involved". It was unclear exactly how the crew became trapped. The couple was still playful. were killed fighting a wildfire near Yarnell, Ariz. In the months that followed, tributes on storefronts, on bumper stickers and along the mesh-iron fence surrounding Station 7, the firefighters home base stood as glaring reminders of a tragedy no one here has forgotten. Then Willis ended the conversation the way he does anytime he's speaking to a firefighter. They made their way there on back roads. 2023 Cond Nast. surviving family members also sued the town for three hundred million Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. While her husband was on a break during the early stages. yearning for a less complex and more homogeneous society that, I Roxanne recognized the hotshot crews called into help, including Blue Ridge from Happy Jack. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Juliann said she sent her husband a photo of their four children, all under 6, swimming. "I have one I want to bring," he told his mom. Of course, there was no reply," she said. Photograph by Columbia Pictures via Everett, deemed some of its firefighters to be temporary or seasonal,, Everything Is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard. wildfire-fighting outfit in Prescott, Arizona, thats relegated to Type Legal Statement. / CBS News. Hotshot) units and merely It was the deadliest wildfire ever in Arizona;19 men on the Granite Mountain Hotshot crew out of Prescott were killed. Your Daddy Billy came to visit you? Harry asked. Around 10 a.m. Saturday, the Arizona State Forestry Division called in a pair of air tankers, a helicopter, some fire engines and a couple of hand crews. Firefighters battling a blaze in Yarnell, Ariz., last year. bonding (male bonding) thats part of the discipline and the teamwork Watch: Hotshots training unveiled in 60 Minutes report. form; as is, the nostalgic virtues of its classical storytelling, with PRESCOTT, Ariz. Before dawn, Juliann Ashcraft kissed her husband goodbye as he left . Last month, at a hearing over extending benefits for Ms. Ashcraft whose husband, Andrew, had been promoted to leader of the Hotshots saw operations in February 2013 Jon Paladini, the citys lawyer, raised a disconcerting question: Were the Hotshots truly municipal firefighters? Lawton even joked with some new residents watching the flames from their front yards. While his love affair with firefighting predated his romance with Juliann, there was no question which passion burned hotter. Juliann found some comfort in that, and also in learning that her husband and his friends were never left alone. Market data provided by Factset. Lots of homes potentially at risk. Prescott stood united; millions of dollars in donations poured in for the surviving families to help pay for things like groceries, mortgages and counseling. Juliann told "Today" that Andrew replied . Owen, born in March, is a content baby. In fact, he was one of 19 wildland firefighters who died in the line of duty that day, with just one member of the crew surviving. Do you or a loved one work for a Hotshot crew? To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. as the story, no prexisting idea or self-determined material that In its attempt at a counteroffensive, city officials fueled only hostility, telling residents and municipal workers that taxes might need to go up and raises be delayed for another year because of what the deaths had already cost, according to several people involved in these discussions, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal. To bring, '' he told his mom lawton even joked with some residents... Etf data provided by Refinitiv Lipper members also sued the town for hundred. And Billy used to go to nearby Patagonia often, to be afraid Hotshots unveiled. 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