He was not accessible to reporters and security escorted him and the others out of the venue when the event ended. McDonough and victims’ families sat in a special seating area in the stadium that was roped off. “This has brought us to our knees but at some point there will be another house fire or wildfire.”Īfter one moment of silence, 19 purple balloons – one for each of the fallen firefighters – were released into the air. “On behalf of the Prescott Fire Department, I want to thank all of you,” said Ralph Lucas, a battalion chief for the Prescott Fire Department. More than 3,000 people gathered at a high school football stadium to remember the 19 men during a service punctuated by repeated moments of silence amid emotional remarks from pastors and officials. McDonough grieved with families of the fallen firefighters Tuesday evening at a public memorial service in Prescott. “He’s trying to deal with the same things that we’re all trying to deal with, but you can understand how that’s compounded being there on the scene.” “He did exactly what he was supposed to,” said Wade Ward, who implored the media to respect McDonough’s privacy as he and the families mourn. McDonough made it to safety, while the rest were overtaken by the blaze. Only one member of the crew, identified Tuesday as 21-year-old Brendan McDonough, survived he was on a hilltop serving as a lookout and warned his crew that the weather was changing rapidly, and that the fire had changed directions because of strong, erratic winds. WIFE OF FALLEN FIREFIGHTER REACTS TO HUSBAND’S DEATH PHOTOS: 19 ‘HOTSHOT’ FIREFIGHTERS KILLED IN ARIZONA WILDFIRE REMEMBERING THE ‘HOTSHOT’ FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS In the nation’s biggest loss of firefighters since 9/11, violent wind gusts on Sunday turned what was believed to be a relatively manageable lightning-ignited forest fire in the town of Yarnell into a death trap that left no escape for the team of Hotshots, most of them in the prime of their lives. They’ll also surely be talking to the sole survivor of the blaze, who warned his fellow firefighters and friends when he saw the wildfire switch directions and head straight for them. Investigators from across the US will be working this week to try to answer that, examining radio logs, the site of the tragedy, and weather reports. Three days after 19 firefighters perished in a wildfire, questions over what exactly went wrong loomed largest.
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