First claim filed for death on Yarnell Hill Fire
First claim filed for death on Yarnell Hill Fire
16 November 2013
published by http://wildfiretoday.com
USA — The first of what could be many claims has been filed for the death of one of the members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. On June 30, 19 firefighters on the crew died when they were overrun by flames on the fire near Yarnell, Arizona.
According to Azcentral, Marcia McKee, the mother of firefighter Grant McKee, filed the $36 million action.
Below is an excerpt from Azcentral:
The 16-page claim alleges officials carelessly allowed the hotshots to move into a chaparral-choked area where escape from the fire was impossible, that officials lost track of the hotshots and that officials failed to understand the extreme peril that confronted the hotshots.
The claim names 13 entities or individuals, including Gov. Jan Brewer, Arizona State Forester Scott Hunt, Prescott Wildland Division Chief Darrell Willis, who oversaw the crew, Prescott Mayor Marlin Kuykendall, the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors, and Department of Public Safety.
Mural to be unveiled
In another story related to the fire, on Saturday, November 16 a mural will be unveiled in Prescott memorializing the fallen Granite Mountain Hotshots and all first responders, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Classic Gas, 1310 W. Iron Springs Road.
