The 25-year-old had joined the fire department just three months ago. Read:Former Firefighter Burned on 70 Percent of His Body While Fighting Wildfire Has Found Love. 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. I wanted to take her so she could have a positive outlook on fire instead of a negative one, Roxanne said. Just days after the men's deaths, Mrs Ashcraft revealed the last conversation she had with her husband - and her fears when he never responded to her text messages. "I don't think my daughter knows her dad is not going to walk her down the aisle, and my sons know he won't be their coach and those sorts of things," she continued. 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. How did this happen? Only six of the 19 firefighters are entitled to full-time benefits, the city claims. ", Juliann Ashcraft always knew her husband had a dangerous job fighting wildfires, but he was one of the elite -- a Granite Mountain Hotshot. Roxanne recognized the hotshot crews called into help, including Blue Ridge from Happy Jack. Published: 14:36, 6 August 2013 | Updated: 22:49, 6 August 2013. "And we'll miss them. 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. 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. These are people who risk their own lives every day," Roxanne said. Published: 23:26 EST, 1 July 2013 | Updated: 14:42 EST, 2 July 2013. She responded by asking whether he and his crew would be sleeping in the field that night. 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. Because even though Billie Grace never got to meet her father, Roxanne wants her to remember him. Andrew Ashcraft texted this photo to his wife, Juliann, just before he perished in a blaze Sunday. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. He sent a photo of where he was sitting and what the fire looked like for them, at their lunch spot, Ashcraft said on TODAY Tuesday. She calls Harry Daddy Hop, a nickname from his initials. He sent back a picture of the fire, which he described as wild, that would ultimately claim his life. 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. That they were loved. She knew it when she got a text message, along with a picture from her husband on the fire line. If State Highway 83 had been open, it would have taken an hour and a half or so. To learn more about Only The Brave and how you can support the wildland firefighter communities through the Granite Mountain Fund, click here. Juliann Ashcraft and her husband Andrew were twenty-somethings with four young children when he died in the line of duty in Prescott, Arizona on June 30, 2013. 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. He listened intently as she recounted her dream. 'It may be days or longer before an investigation reveals how this tragedy occurred, but the essence we already know in our hearts: fighting fires is dangerous work. Hot shot crews are elite firefighters who often hike for miles into the wilderness with chain saws and backpacks filled with heavy gear to build lines of protection between people and fires. 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. She said she learned of her husband's death while watching the news with their four children. Billy had served four years in the Marine Corps, including a tour in Iraq. Last year, Deborah, who lives in Prescott, delivered fresh fruit and beef jerky to crews working on the Tenderfoot Fire in Yarnell. The crew killed in the blaze had been working on other wildfires in recent weeks in New Mexico and Arizona, Fraijo said. Do not sell or share my personal information. Her mother doesn't hold back though. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Joe Woyjeck, Loved: The bodies of Wade Parker, 22, left, and 21-year-old Woyjeck, right, were retrieved on Monday, Heroes: A group photograph shows members of the Prescott Granite Mountain Hotshots, Andrew Ashcraft - 29Robert Caldwell - 23Travis Carter - 31Dustin Deford - 24Christopher MacKenzie - 30Eric Marsh - 43Grant McKee - 21Sean Misner - 26Scott Norris - 28Wade Parker - 22John Percin - 24Anthony Rose - 23Jesse Steed - 36Joe Thurston - 32Travis Turbyfill - 27William Warneke - 25Clayton Whitted - 28Kevin Woyjeck - 21Garret Zuppiger - 27, 'Their situational awareness and their training was at such a high level that it's unimaginable that this has even happened.'. Hot shot crews are elite firefighters who often hike for miles into the wilderness with chain saws and backpacks filled with heavy gear to build lines of protection between people and fires. "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. The area has not suffered a fire in 40 years. "They all laid out there that night.". But the 29-year-old still sees her husband's influence in her own life and in the lives of her four children. 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.'. Read:Couple's Wedding Forced to Relocate After Chapel Is Destroyed in Deadly Wildfire. Juliann Ashcraft, whose husband died fighting the blaze, has been told that she will not receive the benefits that she was initially promised. 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? ", "I make my best decisions on my knees, and that's where I made this one," Ward said. IE 11 is not supported. Another board member, Wade Ward of the Prescott Fire Department, said the question was difficult because "everything that we've gone through and continue to go through is unprecedented. "It was everything to him. 'That's what it takes. 'And of course there was no reply and they all laid out there that night. We grieve for the department. A contagious smile, a heart of gold. . Outside of the love he shared for his family. They were invincible. As she kept watch on the Sawmill Fire,Roxanne sent a Facebook message to Deborah. EXCLUSIVE: Lanzarote sticks to its guns and insists it WILL limit tourists and move away from relying on Jeremy Clarkson is axed as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Roxanne told them about the non-profit group. Because of the dangers of the job, he would always tell us that he loved us. 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. john melendez tonight show salary We grieve for the city,' he said at a news conference Sunday evening. We grieve for the department. Roxanne remembered how Billy and the other firefighterstired of MREs and protein bars. Another, Roxanne Warneke, who lives just outside Tucson, has. We just lost 19 of the finest people you'll ever meet.'. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. A widow whose husband was killed courageously fighting a wildfire in Yarnell, Arizona five weeks ago is being denied the lifetime benefits she was counting on to raise the couple's four young children alone. It turns out, however, their families may not receive the same compensation. 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. Harry will ask, How did you sleep?, I slept good, she told him. All the while, I have these precious babies that I just would just give anything to have a mother and father to tuck them in. Watch: Hotshots training unveiled in 60 Minutes report. Juliann said she sent her husband a photo of their four children, all under 6, swimming. Ashcraft had only been with the Hotshots for a few years, as we can surmise from Juliann Ashcraft's comments about her husband's decorated career as an elite firefighter. There was silence for a moment. Andrew Ashcraft's mother, Deborah Pfingston, also spoke with CBS News' Carter Evans about her son. The highly-skilled team was overtaken by a fast-moving blaze stoked by hot winds on Sunday. 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. 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. He was one of 19 firefighters who died a year ago in the Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona. ", 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. His sister contends he belongs to her alone. 'We're devastated. The fire had stretched out over more than 40,000 acres. And she wasglad she brought Billie Grace. City officials declined multiple requests for an interview, but Monday they sent a statement. Harry wants to raise Billie Grace the way her father would have. 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!' So Roxanne still follows the progress of fires online, like she used to when Billy was on the job. The crew had battled fires in New Mexico and Arizona in recent weeks. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. The firefighting team was bigger than life, she said. They got on the road, leaving baby Owen at home with a sitter. ', Worry: Alora Slemboski consoles Nancy Myers, who fears she lost her home, outside the Red Cross Shelter, Remembrance: Volunteer citizen patrol officer Seymour Petrovsky stands guard at the gate, Overwhelmed: Local resident Bob Hoskovec says a prayer as he kneels outside the gate on Monday, Mourning: Toby Schultz pauses after laying flowers at the gate of the Granite Mountain Hot Shot Crew fire station in Prescott, Arizona on Monday morning. They died together - doing what they loved.'. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news . They took Billie Grace with them. Of course, there was no reply," she said. / CBS News. "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," she said. Roxanne still tells Billie Grace stories about her father, and Billie Grace tells them to Harry. Shortly after the tragedy, Inside Edition brought together eight of the widows. 'He had some athletic ability in him and he was a go-getter, too. Now Roxanne was headed to the Sonoita-Elgin Fire District station, near the first fire she had confronted since then. 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. Juliann Ashcraft is as sure of that as she is sure an outpouring of support from across the country saved her life when her husband died two years ago. The Red Cross has opened two shelters in the area - at Yavapai College in Prescott and at the Wickenburg High School gym. She and Billy used to go to nearby Patagonia often, to hike and fish, taking State Highway 83. 'It had to be a perfect storm in order for this to happen,' Prescott Fire Department spokesman Wade Ward told the Today show. Accepting comments on this article we are no longer accepting comments on article! 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