"They never think it will happen to them.. The fire has also destroyed an estimated 200 homes. We grieve for the department. "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 said. After a two-day hearing, the retirement board of the city of Prescott voted to award the enhanced benefits to the family of Andrew Ashcraft, who perished last June along with 12 other seasonal or part-time members and six full-time members of the elite Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew in the largest loss of firefighters' lives since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. ', Beneitone said athletic prowess was a must for the Hotshots. Watch:Elite Firefighters Carry 2 Fawns From Danger Amid Massive Forest Fire, Are Massage Chairs Safe? The fire that swept over the Granite Mountain Hotshots left Juliann Ashcraft a widow. Join Us at 4:30 (EST) on December 4, 2020 Online for the . They made their way there on back roads. febr 24, 2023. in gif bon matin humour. The NEW woke words of the day: 'Rage farming', 'pinkwashing', 'trauma dumping' and 'Latine' are among 313 'I don't know if I can trust them': Mel B reveals she 'wouldn't call the police' over domestic violence - Is YOUR wood burner at risk? The fire had crept close to an area Roxanne knew well. "They all laid out there that night.". 'I asked, "Will you be sleeping out there tonight?"' Ariz. firefighters wife: They were heroes, Save on costly dcor trends with these DIY design tricks, Camila Morrone talks Daisy Jones & the Six, Bringing photos to life and other mind-blowing A.I. They died together - doing what they loved.'. But the 29-year-old still sees her husband's influence in her own life and in the lives of her four children. Juliann Ashcraft said she learned that her husband, Andrew, 29, was among the dead by watching the news with her four children. Not this time. It cost about $320. 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. Ariz. firefighters wife: They were heroes, battling the out-of-control wildfire Sunday. Ms. Ashcraft said Thursday that not . While her. 6 Amazon travel essentials for your next getaway, starting at $12. Officials have called the fire the worst wildland tragedy in 80 years. . 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. It was 20 percent contained and awind had kicked up. Also killed was Kevin Woyjeck, who followed in the footsteps of his father, a fire captain with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads. There was silence for a moment. 'And of course there was no reply and they all laid out there that night.'. She never took her eyes off his casket until it was lowered into the ground. They are happy. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Published: 14:36, 6 August 2013 | Updated: 22:49, 6 August 2013. Juliann Ashcraft was aware that her husband, Andrew, had a dangerous job. For more, click here or follow on Facebook. List of 19 promises made by Andrew Sterling Ashcraft to his wife . Asked what she tells her kids, Juliann Ashcraft said: "I just tell them how amazing their dad is. 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. Juliann met with families of two Beartown firefighters from Michigan who were killed and another half dozen who were injured in an accident on their way to the Box Canyon wildfire in Utah last summer. The City of Prescott now claims he was a seasonal worker, despite him . Roxanne recognized the hotshot crews called into help, including Blue Ridge from Happy Jack. ", "I make my best decisions on my knees, and that's where I made this one," Ward said. "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.'". 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 . ', Engulfed: 19 firefighters died as the wildfire spread near the Arizona town of Yarnell, Beneitone said athletic prowess was a must for the Hotshots. 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. Roxanne tried to prepare herself for the smell. . Top nutrition scientist says you should drink as many varieties as possible 'because it's good for your gut', Andrew Ashcraft, 29, died beside 18 of his 'Hotshot' comrades on June 30, He left behind his young wife, Juliann, and their four children, the youngest of whom is 18 months, Five weeks after the tragedy, Mrs Ashcraft has been denied the full lifetime benefits she was relying on to raise the couple's children, City of Prescott claims the Hotshot was one of 13 firefighters who were 'seasonal' workers, They say she is therefore only entitled to worker's compensation and a one off payment of $328,000, But Mr Ashcraft actually worked 40 hours a week all year round. It is also the deadliest wildland blaze for firefighters in the U.S. for 80 years. Were there REALLY not enough tests when Matt Hancock 'had to reject Chris Whitty's advice on care home Rishi Sunak is urgently reviewing his private exchanges with Matt Hancock after bombshell leak of ex-Health 'Drinks cold in fridge at DH!' But there was no question her husband died doing something he loved, doing whatever he had to help others. In 2015, she was caught off guard when she got a whiff of the Finger Rock Fire in Tucson from a distance and had a panic attack. First published on July 3, 2013 / 5:33 AM. We love them.'. Juliann Ashcraft's husband, Andrew, was one of 19 firefighters killed battling a wildfire near Yarnell, Arizona on June 30. 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Enter your email to receive updates on our LDS Living content, 2022 LDS Living A Division of Deseret Book Company. Andrew Ashcraft's widow wept in the audience as the Prescott, Ariz., retirement board decided her family deserved full-time survivor payments. When they were found on Sunday, all 19 shelters were deployed but some of the men's bodies were inside their individual shelters, while others were outside - indicating just how suddenly they were overcome by the flames. Only The Brave isan upcoming film starring Josh Brolin and Jennifer Connelly, which documents the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a heroic firefighting team overtaken by a raging Arizonawildfire in 2013. 'But he let us know that he loved us and missed us. They pay to replace or update equipment. Owen, born in March, is a content baby. Overwhelmed with gratitude for the strangers who sent letters and cards and offered support, Ashcraft converted a 40-foot Greyhound bus into a home on wheels and hit the road with her . 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. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. You have to live it. Roxanne said. / CBS News. The city of Prescott told her that full family survivor benefits will only be awarded to the families of full-time employees. They live in that same house, built by her community, an American flag still flying out front, a play fort in the backyard now. Together, the four of them are making a life together. 'As shocked as I was that my husband went to work and never came home, I'm equally shocked in how the city has treated our family since then,' Mrs Ashcraft, whose youngest child is just 18 months old, told CBS News. That they are missed and that they're still going to live on in our lives and in the lives of our kids. They reach out to firefighters and families who need support. But Mrs Ashcraft, still mourning the loss of her 29-year-old hero, is desperate for help, as the costs associated with bringing up four children mount. I've told them every chance I've gotten since then, 'Your dad loves you, and he's with you,' and they just call him their angel and they said they'll see him in heaven. Last year, Deborah, who lives in Prescott, delivered fresh fruit and beef jerky to crews working on the Tenderfoot Fire in Yarnell. Her mother doesn't hold back though. 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. "And we'll. 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, Missed: She had been married to Andrew Ashcraft, pictured, for seven years and they have four children, Deaths: The tragic June 30 deaths were the most reported from one firefighting unit since 9/11. Roxanne would take her daughter to Billys grave with flowers and his dog. After a fire breaks out, they hike for miles into the wilderness with chain saws and backpacks filled with heavy gear to build lines of protection between people and the blaze. ", Andrew Ashcraft and his fellow Hotshots, Juliann Ashcraft said, should be remembered as heroes: "I was married and will be married to a good man. These men worked together," she said. They fought fires together. With the detour, it was more than two hours before they got there. Juliann Ashcraft, wife of late firefighter Andrew Ashcraft, receives a U.S. flag during a memorial service in July. That is not common language, because usually he gets a thrill form the fire, a thrill from being there helping, and this was a different scenario.". 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! CBS News has seen paperwork showing Mr Ashcraft did infact earn a full-time salary as a firefighter for the city of Prescott. Family photographs reveal a picture perfect family as Juliann and Andrew are seen grinning and kissing, as well as laughing along with their four young children. 'It had to be a perfect storm in order for this to happen,' Prescott Fire Department spokesman Wade Ward told the Today show. In June 2013, when the fire swept through Yarnell, Roxanne was pregnant with their first child, a daughter, born six months after Billy died. That's why he did what he did, because he want to protect the community where he lived. They have to run 1.5 miles in 10 minutes and 35 seconds, complete 40 sit-ups in 60 seconds, 25 push-ups in 60 seconds, and seven pull-ups. Thats for your daddy, she told her. Juliann Ashcraft's husband, Andrew, was one of 19 firefighters killed battling a wildfire near Yarnell, Arizona on June 30. As they unloaded the truck, Roxanne could smell the fire. Others were found outside them. She added that she had been sending him pictures of their children swimming that day, and how his daughter had commented that she wished he was there to see the thunder storm with them. - photo by Stuart Johnson, Deseret News Through my experience, I have learned life is a gift. 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. 'We could sure use some rain over here,' he said. 'This is as dark a day as I can remember,' Gov. She and 18 other families still won't have fathers and husbands around for birthdays and holidays. Juliann said she sent her husband a photo of their four children, all under 6, swimming. Prescott High School physical education teacher and coach Lou Beneitone taught many of the Hotshots, and remembered Ashcraft as a fitness-oriented student. It had been almost four years since her husband, wildland firefighter Billy Warneke, was killed by a raging blaze in Yarnell. Yet there she stood, her loss all too real. A crew of 600 firefighters and related personnel had been assigned to it. The heartbroken wife of Andrew Ashcraft, a father-of-four who was killed by the Arizona wildfire with 18 of his firefighting comrades on Sunday, has revealed their last conversation - and her fears when he never responded to her messages. Death toll: The Yarnell wildfire is the deadliest wildfire involving firefighters in the U.S. for at least 30 years. He sent back a picture of the fire, which he described as wild, that would ultimately claim his life. Roxanne buried Billy in the veterans sections of a cemetery in Marana, with full military honors, not far from where they lived. But she's been denied the lifetime benefits she was counting on to raise her four children, the youngest of whom is 18 months old. My Daddy Billy? Billie Grace asked. 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. At the Sonoita-Elgin Fire District station, Roxanne got out of the truck and introduced herself to the firefighters. Our kids will remember them as heroes as well.. Andrew Ashcraft, 29, was one of the 19 . But the Yarnell Hill fire was different. He saved a lot of homes that people do go home to, but he'll never come home to ours. I dreamed of Daddy Billy.. Helicopters had been unable to reach the highly-trained men as they fought the flames in Yarnell and they could not be saved by their emergency shelters - tent-like structures meant to shield them from flames and heat. And then another, and another. Only six of the 19 firefighters are entitled to full-time benefits, the city claims. She doesn't want the smell of smoke to ever make her feel the way her mother did for so long. To join, candidates must complete a boot camp-style test to prove they are in peak physical condition. Mr Ashcraft, like his colleagues, was protecting the people of Yarnell when he died, tragically leaving his young family without a husband, father or income. "And we'll miss them. (CBS News) Among the 19 firefighters killed Sunday in Arizona was 29-year-old Andrew Ashcraft. Because of the dangers of the job, he would always tell us that he loved us.'. They remove brush, trees and anything that might burn in the direction of homes and cities. 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. He added that the firefighters had to deploy the emergency shelters when 'something drastic' occurred. Roxanne remembered how Billy and the other firefighterstired of MREs and protein bars. In 2015, Roxanne had joinedJuliann Ashcraft, whose husband, Andrew, also was killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire, and Andrews mother, Deborah Pfingston, to formthe Wildland Firefighter Guardian Institute, a non-profit advocacy group. IE 11 is not supported. When they were found on Sunday, all 19 shelters were deployed but some of the men's bodies were inside their individual shelters, while others were outside - indicating just how suddenly they were overcome by the flames. 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. Your Daddy Billy came to visit you? Harry asked. He had his priorities in line, but when he was there, he would tell me, They say jump and Id say, how high. Their main goal was to save lives. ', Of his team, she added: 'They loved what they did. Nineteen shelters were deployed and some of the firefighters were found inside them, Mike Reichling from the Arizona State Forestry Division told the Arizona Republic. Older Americans increasingly struggling to save for retirement. Her own wedding anniversary is just a few weeks away.". Harry will ask, How did you sleep?, I slept good, she told him. she told the Today show early last month as she struggled to hold back the tears. Less then two days after Andrew Ashcraft's life was taken, Juliann Ashcraft spoke about her husband and the other members of the Granite Mountain Hotshot crew. The 4-1 vote came at the same time that an army of . Dry grass near the communities of Yarnell and Glen Isla fed the fast-moving blaze. . 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. Juliann Ashcraft said she is desperate for help. 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