I just kept texting him saying 'You need to tell me you need to tell me you are OK.' I couldnt believe it, cause I kept thinking, 'You wouldn't leave me,' she said. . 1. The City of Prescott now claims he was a seasonal worker, despite him . These are people who risk their own lives every day," Roxanne said. I dreamed of Daddy Billy.. He sent back a picture of the fire, which he described as wild, that would ultimately claim his life. ', Of his team, she added: 'They loved what they did. They took Billie Grace with them. 'We could sure use some rain over here,' he 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."'. "They died heroes," she said, crying and wiping tears away from her eyes. Another firefighter's son lost his life; Capt. 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. Prescott High School physical education teacher and coach Lou Beneitone taught many of the Hotshots, and remembered Ashcraft as a fitness-oriented student. Harry will ask, How did you sleep?, I slept good, she told him. 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', Engulfed: 19 firefighters died as the wildfire spread near the Arizona town of Yarnell, Beneitone said athletic prowess was a must for the Hotshots. the house Billy had dreamed of, the one he promised Roxanne, was built by firefighters, friends and neighbors, and complete strangers, They focus on safety for wildland firefighters, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 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. 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's husband, Andrew, was hired as a member of the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew as a temporary worker in 2011 and was named rookie of the year. Mike Krumboltz. She was named Billie Grace, for her father. 'He had some athletic ability in him and he was a go-getter, too. 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.'. ', 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. 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. "It was everything to him. 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. . Dry grass near the communities of Yarnell and Glen Isla fed the fast-moving blaze. 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? Roxanne remembered how Billy and the other firefighterstired of MREs and protein bars. juliann ashcraft new husband. 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. They fought fires together. Billie Grace is headstrong and independent. febr 24, 2023. in gif bon matin humour. With their deaths, the department lost 20 per cent of its members. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. 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. The elite team, Ashcraft said, were like a family. Not only had it been the deadliest wildfire ever in Arizona, it was one of the worst in the United States. 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. "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. Jan Brewer said in a statement. They died together - doing what they loved.'. Read:Former Firefighter Burned on 70 Percent of His Body While Fighting Wildfire Has Found Love. It is also the deadliest wildland blaze for firefighters in the U.S. for 80 years. They are happy. Andrew Ashcraft texted this photo to his wife, Juliann, just before he perished in a blaze Sunday. Ashcraft, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was honored to be a member of the Hotshot crew, and 'he just had a really sweet spirit about him,' Elise Smith, a Prescott, Arizona, resident, told The Deseret News of Salt Lake City. She knew it when she got a text message, along with a picture from her husband on the fire line. But there was no question her husband died doing something he loved, doing whatever he had to help others. Ashcraft's plans may soon include a lawsuit against the city. As a result of the dispute, there were two separate memorial. Billy had served four years in the Marine Corps, including a tour in Iraq. Harry is an ex-Marine with friends who are firefighters, so he, too, was tracking the fire. With their deaths, the department lost 20 per cent of its members. 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. While Juliann is devastated by what happened to her husband she knows that he died doing what he loved saving lives. All 19 Hotshot families will receive worker's compensation and a one-off federal payment of $328,000. When Roxanne introduced herself to the firefighters at the station, she told them that her husband had been one of the 19 hotshots killed in the Yarnell fire. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. Juliann Ashcraft lost her husband, Andrew . Please enter valid email address to continue. 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. Andrew Ashcraft's mother, Deborah Pfingston, also spoke with CBS News' Carter Evans about her son. "They died heroes," she said, wiping away tears. You gotta be very physically fit, and you gotta like it, gotta like the hard work.'. Read:Couple's Wedding Forced to Relocate After Chapel Is Destroyed in Deadly Wildfire. . 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. "When I saw them, I just fell to the floor, because I knew," she said. Andrew Ashcraft, 29, was one of the 19 . Andrew Ashcraft, 29, seen here with his wife, Juliann Ashcraft, was one of 19 elite "hotshot" firefighters killed in an Arizona wildfire this week. she told the Today show early last month as she struggled to hold back the tears. 'But he let us know that he loved us and missed us. Among the victims was Billy Warneke, a Marine Corps veteran who served a tour in Iraq and who was expecting his first child with his wife Roxanne this December, family told The Press Enterprise. Because shewants her daughter to respect fire, to be mindful of it, but not to be afraid. 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Officials have called the fire the worst wildland tragedy in 80 years. 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. It cost about $320. Harry loaded 20 cases of oranges and 16 bags of apples, about 350 pounds in all, onto a cart and then into their truck. 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. 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. 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. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Princess Diana's nieces Lady Eliza and Amelia share Do not sell or share my personal information. He was one of 19 firefighters who died a year ago in the Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona. July 2, 2013, 3:05 PM. But the city of Prescott, where the Hotshots were based, is now claiming he was a seasonal worker, despite him working a 40 hour week year round, and denying Mrs Ashcraft full benefits. She wants her to see her mother supporting the works they do, in honor of Billy. She said she learned of her husband's death while watching the news with their four children. The incident hits close to home for Juliann Ashcraft whose husband was killed in 2013. On July 1, the day after the men were killed, Mrs Ashcraft was pictured distraught at a makeshift memorial in Prescott for the fallen firefighters. It didnt come. They fought fires together. Juliann Ashcraft said: "It was out of the ordinary for him, because he said 'this is getting wild' and 'Peoples Valley an Yarnell are looking to burn.' Andrew Ashcraft's widow wept in the audience as the Prescott, Ariz., retirement board decided her family deserved full-time survivor payments. It still did not look as catastrophic as it turned out to be, but it was interesting to have that perspective, to know what life was like for him on the fire lines and know what he risked day in and day out.. A crew of 600 firefighters and related personnel had been assigned to it. Play it now! 'Under certain conditions there's usually only sometimes a 50 per cent chance that they survive,' he said. Roxanne had married Billy in 2008, but they had known each other since high school. She says her husband and his fellow firefighters loved what they did and shares how she and her four children are coping with the loss.July 2, 2013. '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. The fire has also destroyed an estimated 200 homes, Morrison said. Juliann Ashcraft, the widow of slain Arizona firefighter Andrew Ashcraft, talked about the final text messages she was sent by her husband earlier this week just before he died. Select this result to view Juliann Ashcraft's phone number, address, and more. . - photo by Stuart Johnson, Deseret News Juliann Ashcraft always knew her husband had a dangerous job fighting wildfires, but he was one of the elite -- a Granite Mountain Hotshot. Three of the women were pregnant when disaster struck. 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. August 5, 2013 / 7:54 PM Roxanne still tells Billie Grace stories about her father, and Billie Grace tells them to Harry. Nineteen men, members of an elite "Hotshot" team, died Sunday battling the out-of-control wildfire Sunday outside Yarnell, Ariz. Claire and Robert Caldwell were newlyweds. 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