Remembering fallen wildland firefighters: Storm King, T-11, MAFFs, and Granite Mountain Hotshots

This is the time of year when I find myself remember a couple of fatal air tanker crashes and incidents where several wildland firefighters died. I will write some remembrances in honor of fallen wildland firefighters in two parts, part two should post on Friday, July 12th.

On July 6, 1994 I was not writing about wildland firefighting but I suspect that the death of 14 wildland firefighters while fighting the South Canyon Fire on Storm King Mountain in Colorado made the national news. However, when I was first getting interested in wildland firefighting in the fall of 2008, I read about the South Canyon Fire in John MacLean's Fire on the Mountain: The True Story of the South Canyon Fire. Maclean's writing of the South Canyon fire and the death of the fourteen firefighters made an impression on me. In addition, over the years, I have read about the fourteen deaths at the South Canyon Fire in various places on the internet. With July 6th being the 25th anniversary, I can not help but be reminded of the fourteen who died, Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today wrote a great July 6th article on the 14 deaths on Storm King Mountain with videos and other links, check it out.

There were other incidents with fatalities that happened in June or July since I have been writing this blog. There were the two air tanker crashes in 2012, the crash of T-11 on June 4th while working the White Rock Fire near Hamblin Valley Utah, and the July 2, 2012 crash of a C-130 MAFFs from the North Caroline Air National Guard 145th Aircraft Wing while flying the White Draw Fire near Edgemont SD (see my July 2, and July 3, 2012 articles)

Finally, there are the June 30, 2013 deaths of nineteen members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots out of Prescott Arizona while fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire (near Prescott). One of my family members was in Prescott Arizona when the ninteteen wildland firefighters died, she sent me some photos of a tribute that I shared on July 2, 2013. Bill Gabbert covered the sixth anniversary of the loss of nineteen Granite Mountain Hotshots in a June 30, 2016 post.

Please join me in pausing and remembering those who died in these incidents and the loved ones, friends and colleagues they left behind.

I remember,your sacrifice will not be forgotten.

South Canyon Fire, Storm King Mountain
Prineville Hotshots: Kathi Beck, Tamera Bickett, Scott Blecha, Levi Brinkley, Douglas Dunbar, Terri Hagen, Bonnie Holtby, Rob Johnson, Jon Kelso.
Missoula Smokejumper: Don Mackey
McCall Smokejumpers: Roger Roth, Jim Thrash.
Helitack: Robert Browning, Jr., Richard Tyler.

Tanker 11
Todd Neal Tompkins, pilot
Ron Edwin Chambless, co-pilot

C-130 MAFFS, North Carolina Air National Guard, 145 Aircraft Wing
Lt. Col. Paul K. Mikeal (pronounced like "Michael")
Maj. Joseph M. McCormick
Maj. Ryan S. David (pronounced da-veed)
Senior Master Sgt. Robert S. Cannon

Granite Mountain Hotshots, Yarnell Hill Fire
Andrew Ashcraft
Robert Caldwell
Travis Carter
Dustin Deford,
Christopher MacKenzie
Eric Marsh
Grant McKee
Sean Misner
Scott Norris
Wade Parker
John Percin
Anthony Rose
Jesse Steed
Joe Thurston
Travis Turbyfill
William Warneke
Clayton Whitted
Kevin Woyjeck
Garret Zuppiger