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The Latest: Arizona dedicates park, trail for firefighters
YARNELL, Ariz. – The Latest on the dedication of a memorial for 19 Arizona firefighters killed in a 2013 wildfire (all times local):
11:00 a.m.
A new memorial park and trail honouring 19 Arizona firefighters who died in a 2013 wildfire has been dedicated.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey says the 3-mile trail and memorial where the Granite Mountain Hotshots died near Yarnell is a lasting tribute to the heroism of the firefighters.
Former Prescott fire chief Dan Fraijo (FRAY’-hoh) says the memorial is a place “to reflect, mourn and learn.”
Family members of the crew gathered privately with Ducey at the memorial site before Tuesday’s dedication.
The father of fallen firefighter Wade Parker says returning to the site and gathering with other families was a moving experience.
Dan Parker says he wants to bring others so they can honour and remember his son.
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9:45 a.m.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey says he met with families of some of the 19 fallen firefighters at the site of a memorial where they died in a 2013 wildfire.
Ducey says the site and a nearly 3-mile trail leading to it being dedicated Tuesday is a fitting tribute.
The governor and family members are gathering at the trailhead for a ceremony dedicating the trail and 320-acre memorial site.
The memorial park near the town of Yarnell opens to the public on Wednesday.
The elite firefighting team was battling one of the state’s most devastating wildfires. Winds shifted and trapped them in a brush-choked box canyon.
The flames also destroyed 127 homes in the Yarnell area.
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12:20 a.m.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey plans to dedicate a long-awaited memorial for the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who perished in a wildfire three years ago.
Ducey will be joined by family members of the fallen firefighters at Tuesday’s private dedication of the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park. The park located two miles south of Yarnell on State Route 89 opens to the public on Wednesday.
The memorial includes a trail that leads to the area where the firefighters died and features individual plaques honouring each of the firefighters.
Nineteen members of the elite firefighting team were killed battling one of the state’s most devastating wildfires. Winds shifted and trapped them in a brush-choked box canyon.
The flames also destroyed 127 homes in the Yarnell area.
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