Report to detail blaze, deaths of 19 firefighters

PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — A highly anticipated report examining weather conditions, radio traffic and fire behavior, among other things, is expected to help explain how 19 members of an elite firefighting crew died while battling an Arizona wildfire. Officials, however, said it won't assign blame.

The Arizona State Forestry Division was set to present the roughly 120-page report to the men's families ahead of a news conference planned for Saturday morning in Prescott.

All but one member of the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew died June 30 while protecting the small former gold rush town of Yarnell, about 80 miles northwest of Phoenix, from an erratic lightning-sparked wildfire.

Early reports showed the fire caused little immediate concern because of its remote location and small size when it began June 28. But the blaze quickly grew into an inferno, burning swiftly across pine, juniper and scrub oak and through an area that hadn't experienced a significant wildfire in nearly 50 years.

The 20-member Granite Mountain Hotshots team arrived early on the morning of June 30 and headed into the boulder-strewn mountains. About nine hours later, the crew radioed that they were trapped by flames and deploying emergency shelters. Only one crew member who was assigned as the lookout survived.

The fire ended up destroying more than 100 homes and burned 13 square miles before it was fully contained on July 10.

No other wildfire had claimed more firefighters in 80 years, and it was the deadliest single day for fire crews since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The Granite Mountain team was unique among the nation's roughly 110 Hotshot crews as the first and only such unit attached to a municipal fire department.

It wasn't clear why the firefighters left the relative safety of a ridge top or if they had received warnings of the erratically changing weather that whipped the blaze into an unpredictable inferno when they dropped down into a bowl surrounded by mountains on three sides.

At one point, officials asked for half of the available western U.S. heavy air tanker fleet — six planes — to try to control the blaze. Five weren't deployed because of the limited number in the nation's aerial firefighting fleet and the dangerous weather conditions at the time. One plane was heading to Arizona from California but engine problems forced it to turn back.

Forestry officials have said that even if the planes had been available, winds were so strong they couldn't have been used to save the firefighters' lives.

Some family members hope the investigation will explain why their loved ones died. Others say it will do nothing to ease their pain.

"No matter what the report says, it won't bring him back," Colleen Turbyfill said of her son, Travis. "I miss him, and it's unbearable pain. It doesn't go away. Sometimes I can't breathe, but this report isn't going to help that one way or another."

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More than 1,000 mourn 19 Ariz. firefighters

PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — More than 1,000 people turned out Monday to a Prescott gymnasium to honor the bravery and sacrifice of 19 Hotshot firefighters who died battling a wildfire in Arizona.

Those in the crowd rocked children in their arms, wiped away tears and applauded robustly after each set of remarks, often rising to their feet. Speakers at the memorial quoted heavily from Scripture.

U.S. Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., said the Hotshots laid down their lives not only for their friends and loved ones, but for people they didn't even know.

The men died Sunday after the blaze they were battling near the small town of Yarnell, about 85 miles northwest of Phoenix, exploded tenfold in a matter of hours, trapping them.

Authorities say the tragedy all but wiped out the 20-member Granite Mountain Hotshots, a Prescott-based unit.

Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo spoke in a shaky voice and paused frequently as he described throwing a picnic a month ago for his new recruits and meeting their families.

"About five hours ago, I met those same families at an auditorium," he said during the service, held at the campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. "Those families lost. The Prescott Fire Department lost. The city of Prescott lost. The state of Arizona and the nation lost."

At the end of the ceremony, dozens of wildfire fighters sporting Hotshot shirts and uniforms from other jurisdictions marched down from the top of the bleachers to the front of the gym auditorium, their heavy work boots drumming a march on the wooden steps.

The firefighters bowed their heads for a moment of silence in memory of their fallen comrades as slides bearing each man's name and age were projected behind them.

The 19 killed were Andrew Ashcraft, 29; Kevin Woyjeck, 21; Anthony Rose, 23; Eric Marsh, 43; Christopher MacKenzie, 30; Robert Caldwell, 23; Clayton Whitted , 28; Scott Norris, 28; Dustin Deford, 24; Sean Misner, 26; Garret Zuppiger, 27; Travis Carter, 31; Grant McKee, 21; Travis Turbyfill, 27; Jesse Steed, 36; Wade Parker, 22; Joe Thurston, 32; William Warneke, 25; and John Percin, 24.

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Town mourns 19 firefighters killed in Ariz. blaze

PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — The firefighters walked down the bleachers in a silent gymnasium full of mourners, their heavy work boots drumming a march on the wooden steps.

They bowed their heads for moments of silence at the front of an auditorium that was so packed organizers had to send people outside for fear of violating the fire code. The burly men then hugged each other and cried at the end of a deeply emotional memorial Monday evening in the Arizona mountain town of Prescott.

More than 1,000 people gathered in the gymnasium on the campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as others throughout the state and beyond also mourned the deaths of the 19 Prescott-based firefighters killed Sunday outside nearby Yarnell. The day marked the nation's deadliest for fire crews since Sept. 11, 2001.

Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo spoke in a shaky voice at the memorial as he described throwing a picnic a month ago for the department's new recruits and meeting their families.

"About five hours ago, I met those same families at an auditorium," he said. "Those families lost. The Prescott Fire Department lost. The city of Prescott lost, the state of Arizona and the nation lost," he said before receiving a standing ovation as he left the podium.

For the 19 killed, violent wind gusts turned a lightning-caused forest fire into a death trap that left no escape.

In a desperate attempt at survival, the firefighters — members of a highly skilled Arizona-based Hotshot crew — had unfurled their foil-lined, heat-resistant shelters and rushed to cover themselves on the ground. But the success of the shelters depends on firefighters being in a cleared area away from fuels and not in the direct path of a raging fire.

Only one member of the 20-person crew survived, and that was because he was moving the unit's truck at the time.

The blaze grew from 200 acres to about 2,000 in a matter of hours, and Prescott City Councilman Len Scamardo said the wind and fire made it impossible for the firefighters to flee around 3 p.m. Sunday.

"The winds were coming from the southeast, blowing to the west, away from Yarnell and populated areas. Then the wind started to blow in, the wind kicked up to 40 to 50 mph gusts and it blew east, south, west - every which way," he said. "What limited information we have was there was a gust of wind from the north that blew the fire backed, and trapped them."

Authorities are investigating to figure out what exactly went wrong after the wind suddenly changed direction. Mary Rasmussen, a spokeswoman for the Southwest incident team, said Atlanta NIMO - National Incident Management Organization will be the lead in the probe and will aim to put out a report in the coming days with preliminary information.

The multi-agency group of investigators arrived Monday and was being briefed in Phoenix. Judith Downing, a spokeswoman for the taskforce, said they would go to the fire scene Tuesday.

Southwest incident team leader Clay Templin said the crew and its commanders were following safety protocols, and it appears the fire's erratic nature simply overwhelmed them.

The Hotshot team had spent recent weeks fighting fires in New Mexico and Prescott before being called to Yarnell, entering the smoky wilderness over the weekend with backpacks, chainsaws and other heavy gear to remove brush and trees.

In a heartbreaking sight, a long line of vans from a coroner's office carried the bodies of the 19 firefighters Monday from Yarnell to Phoenix for autopsies, as the fire burned out of control. It was zero percent contained and had burned 8,400 acres as a heat wave across the Southwest sent temperature soaring.

Yavapai County said an estimated 200 homes and other structures burned in Yarnell and hundreds of people have been evacuated.

About 200 firefighters arrived to the scorching mountains, doubling the number of firefighters battling the blaze, ignited by lightning. Many of them also were part of Hotshot crews.

In addition to the flames, downed power lines and exploding propane tanks continued to threaten what was left of the town, said fire information officer Steve Skurja. A light rain fell over the area but did little in helping crews gain the upper hand fire.

Arizona's governor called Sunday "as dark a day as I can remember" and ordered flags flown at half-staff.

"I know that it is unbearable for many of you, but it also is unbearable for me. I know the pain that everyone is trying to overcome and deal with today," said Gov. Jan Brewer, her voice catching several times as she addressed reporters and residents at Prescott High School in the town of 40,000.

Fraijo said he feared the worst when he received a call Sunday afternoon from someone assigned to the fire.

"All he said was, 'We might have bad news. The entire Hotshot crew deployed their shelters,'" Fraijo said. "When we talk about deploying the shelters, that's an automatic fear, absolutely. That's a last-ditch effort to save yourself when you deploy your shelter."

The 19 killed were Andrew Ashcraft, 29; Kevin Woyjeck, 21; Anthony Rose, 23; Eric Marsh, 43; Christopher MacKenzie, 30; Robert Caldwell, 23; Clayton Whitted , 28; Scott Norris, 28; Dustin Deford, 24; Sean Misner, 26; Garret Zuppiger, 27; Travis Carter, 31; Grant McKee, 21; Travis Turbyfill, 27; Jesse Steed, 36; Wade Parker, 22; Joe Thurston, 32; William Warneke, 25; and John Percin, 24.

___

Associated Press writers Bob Christie in Phoenix, Brian Skoloff in Yarnell, Felicia Fonseca in Prescott, and Martin Di Caro in Washington contributed to this report.

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Obama lays wreath at Ground Zero, meets with families, firefighters, cops

NEW YORK — President Obama punctuated his success in tracking down Osama bin Laden with a visit Thursday to those on the front line of the terrorist attack — families and colleagues of those killed on Sept. 11, 2001.

President Obama hugs Diane Wall, from Rumson, NJ, as her daughters and a family friend watch. Both families lost fathers on 9/11.

Under sunny skies and the unfinished bulk of the first tower to rise at Ground Zero, Obama laid a wreath on the plaza of the emerging 9/11 Memorial on the site of the World Trade Center. In a solemn, silent ceremony, he placed flowers in front of a tree that survived the towers' collapse and hugged and greeted family members, police officers and firefighters.

He gave a fist bump to Christopher Cannizzaro, 10, who was an infant when his firefighter father, Brian, was killed. In return, Christopher gave the president a prayer card for his dad.

His mother, Jackie Cannizzaro-Hawkins, said she told the president, "Thank you. Thank you for seeing it through." Obama's visit to the WTC site "means the world to me. It was appropriate. He never forgot."

Obama hugged Payton Wall, 14, and her friend Madison Robertson, 14. Both girls from Rumson, N.J., lost their dads on 9/11 and had written letters to the president several months ago.

They also had written to teen idol Justin Bieber. "I just wanted to share my story," Payton said.

"He just said how proud of us he is," Madison said.

En route to the ceremony, the president ate lunch — including eggplant parmigiana — at a firehouse, Engine 54, which on 9/11 lost all 15 members on duty.

"When we say we will never forget, we mean what we say," Obama told the firefighters.

He visited a Manhattan police station, where he signed the log book. "I am here basically to shake your hand and say how proud I am of all of you," Obama told them.

The city seemed to return the sentiment as crowds lined streets to cheer. It was Obama's first visit to Ground Zero since he became president.

Dorothy Francis, who worked in the neighborhood when the attack occurred, said she turned out "to do honor to the families. And it's a compliment on the bin Laden thing. … It's a relief to know that he's gone. It's a solemn day, really, just to know what was accomplished."

Chuck Alf, 41, visiting from Buffalo, was at the site for the first time since he went to dinner at Windows on the World, atop the north tower, in 2000. "There's a sense of pride there, to see your leader," he said. The mood on the street during the ceremony, even though no one could see the wreath laying, was solemn, he said. "For as many people as were on that street corner, it was amazingly quiet." He shared the sentiment, even though he's glad bin Laden has been killed. "I have no interest in hooting and hollering," he said. "There's a very solemn sense of some closure."

Obama spent an hour with about 60 relatives of the nearly 3,000 people who died in the attacks. They gathered at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Center, just outside the Trade Center site.

"It was like the bride at her wedding: He went to every table," said Jefferson Crowther, whose son Welles died after helping get injured Trade Center workers to safety. "He hugged the ladies, he shook the hands of the gentlemen."

Some family members had been upset not to have been included in the invitation-only event, so Mary and Frank Fetchet, founders of Voices of September 11 took letters to Obama that family members who were not invited posted on the group's Facebook page.

The message from Alexandra Luckett, who lost her brother in the collapse of the north tower, was heartfelt: "Please thank President Obama from everyone in Ted Luckett's family for finally bringing us some justice!" she wrote on Facebook. "I hope this brings a little peace to this country and that the war will soon come to an end. I love the Navy SEALs! Great job. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!"

Frank Fetchet, whose son Bradley was killed, said he had been among those who met with Obama at the beginning of his presidency in 2009.

"I felt this was kind of a bookend to that,"Fetchet said. With the death of bin Laden, "this phase of our journey from 9/11 is completed. ? There was a real pride in the room that this was done, and relief and thanks for the hard work of our military."

Jim Riches, a retired deputy chief with the city fire department and father of Jimmy Riches, a firefighter who was killed in the collapse of the north tower, was among those scheduled to meet with Obama. He recalled that at a meeting in 2009, Obama told the 9/11 families that he was determined to get bin Laden.

"He did a great job,and he deserves credit for it. He had the conviction to do it," Riches said Wednesday evening.

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Forecast is a mixed bag for Texas firefighters

By the CNN Wire Staff STORY HIGHLIGHTSForecaster: Higher humidity could help fight against wildfiresBut high winds could counteract the advantage, meteorologist saysWeekend thunderstorms could also bring threat of fire-sparking lightningFires have burned more than 1.4 million acres since January 1 Dallas (CNN) -- Hundreds of firefighters from across the United States faced a mixed forecast Friday in Texas as they continued to battle fires that have burned across more than 1.4 million acres of the state.

While higher humidity forecast for Friday could help slow the fires' advance, higher winds -- up to 25 miles per hour -- that are also in the forecast could also fan the flames, said Jennifer Dunn, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.

The PK Complex of fires burning west of Fort Worth continues to threaten hundreds of homes around the Possum Kingdom Lake, Caddo, Strawn, and Bunger communities, where more than 100 homes have been destroyed.

The largest fire, the 202,150-acre Rockhouse fire near Fort Davis was 75 percent contained as of Thursday night, according to the latest update provided by the Texas Forest Service.

Other fires include the 158,867-acre Wildcat fire north of San Angelo which was 30 percent contained as of Thursday night, and the Cooper Mountain Ranch fire in Kent, Stonewall, Scurry and Fisher counties. That 162,625-acre fire was 90 percent contained, the Forest Service said.

Cooler temperatures, higher humidity and rain helped firefighters make some advances Thursday, but thunderstorms in the forecast for the weekend could actually do more harm than good, forecasters warned.

Thunderstorms bring the threat of lightning, which can ignite new fires, Dunn said. They also may not bring enough rain to quench the dry ground and vegetation in Texas, which is undergoing an historic drought.

"If the storms are slow-moving and drop a lot of rain in some areas that would be beneficial," Dunn said. "But, if we're talking about scattered or isolated storms that are moving at a pretty good clip, they're not going to provide much help in this case."

West Texas averages nearly 15 inches of rain a year, according to David Hennig, a meteorologist in Midland. Over the past six months, just 13-hundredths of an inch of rain have been recorded in that part of the state.

While October through March is typically the dry season, that amount of rainfall is far below what it should be, Hennig said.

Friday marked the first day of a "Days of Prayer for Rain" proclamation issued by Gov. Rick Perry.

Perry's resolution urges "Texans of all faiths and religious traditions" to pray for "an end to this ongoing drought and these devastating wildfires."

CNN's Matt Cherry contributed to this report.

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Firefighters from 34 states battle Texas blazes

Western wildfires eat up TexasSTORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Texas burning "from border to border," forest service spokeswoman saysNEW: A cold front is expected to bring rain and lower the fire threat WednesdayNEW: The threat is likely to return Thursday for parts of west TexasMore than 170 homes have been destroyed by firesRead more about this story from CNN affiliates WFAA and KTVT.

Dallas (CNN) -- Texas firefighters on Wednesday continued to battle blazes that have scorched a million acres and have been burning for more than a week, according to the Texas Fire Service.

"We're actually seeing Texas burn from border to border. We've got it in West Texas, in East Texas, in North Texas in South Texas - It's all over the state," Texas Forest Service spokeswoman April Saginor told CNN Radio. "We've got one in the Dallas area that's four fires that have actually merged together."

Saginor said firefighters from 34 states are now in Texas battling blazes that, over the past two weeks, have destroyed 170 homes and scorched 1 million acres.

"Some (fires) are over 100,000 acres, and they've been burning for over a week, so that's our priority right now," Saginor said, "to put out the big ones.

Wildfire ravages home but spares family roosters

Much of Texas, however is expected to get a break Wednesday from the dry weather and high winds blamed for the spreading wildfires, according to the National Weather Service. However, the fire danger is likely to return Thursday for various parts of the state, the weather service said.

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Calmer winds could help Texas firefighters

Deffibaugh said.

The evacuations included the entire 1,200-resident town of Gorman in West Texas, but the city manager in nearby Eastland said Saturday the evacuation order had been lifted.

Fires destroyed at least 60 homes Friday, burning across about 655 square miles around the state, the Texas Forest Service said. Some of the fires have been burning for a week or more, including three in West Texas that have charred a combined 400,000 acres, the equivalent of more than half of the state of Rhode Island.

Volunteer firefighter Gregory M. Simmons, 51, died while battling a 3,000-acre blaze Friday afternoon near Eastland, Mayor Mark Pipkin said. Simmons had been a firefighter for two decades, including 11 years in Eastland, the mayor said.

Simmons and other firefighters fled their truck as it was being overrun by flames, and Simmons fell in a ditch, where the fire caught him, said Justice of the Peace James King, who pronounced Simmons dead at the scene along a rural road.

The combination of powerful winds and low humidity Friday was rare for north central Texas, said Dennis Cavanaugh of the National Weather Service. Winds were expected to be around 10 mph Saturday after whipping in the 50 mph range a day earlier. Humidity readings were expected to remain low, possibly in the single digits, Cavanaugh said.

Roads reopened Saturday around Possum Kingdom Lake, allowing residents to assess damage in a popular recreation area where at least 30 homes burned, Deffibaugh said.

The blaze left a thick gray haze across the sky Friday as it burned about 20,000 acres around the lake. By nightfall, a deep red glow hovered on the horizon as thick billows of smoke were illuminated by the flames.

Officials closed the surrounding state park and evacuated campsites earlier Friday, fearing the fire would block off the only access roads to the wooded area.

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