In a report prepared by local, state and federal investigators said that several factors contributed to the tragedy, such as wind, terrain and the firefighters' movements. It did not pinpoint one factor as the leading cause of the deaths. It pointed out management lapses but found no evidence of recklessness or negligence.
the widow of firefighter Andrew Ashcraft. “It had to take all of us coming together in a global resolution to even start talking about what we can do to prevent these things from happening again.” Family members say they didn’t file the suit for the money but to protect future firefighters.
The state of Arizona has settled a lawsuit brought by a dozen families who lost loved ones when a Hotshot firefighting crew was overcome by a wildfire near the small community of Yarnell. The settlement announced by state Attorney General Mark Brnovich will pay the families $50,000 each. Some vowed to donate the money to a new wildland firefighter safety foundation.
State workplace safety regulators blamed the largest loss of wildland firefighters since 1933 on the state Forestry Division, saying they knowingly put protection of property ahead of safety and should have pulled crews out earlier.
All but one member of the crew died. The ADOSH investigation found that state fire officials lacked key personnel to battle the Yarnell Hill Fire at critical times. An earlier investigation commissioned by the Forestry Division, which found that state fire officials communicated poorly but followed proper procedures.
The Forestry Division contested the fines, saying they were “not supported by substantial evidence.” The state didn’t admit wrongdoing in reaching the settlement.
Brnovich said the state had an obligation to settle the lawsuit and to work to prevent future tragedies.
“As a state, we don’t measure success in wins and losses,” he said. “We measure our success in whether justice has been done by the victims.”
Andrew Ashcraft’s mother, Deborah Pfingston, said the settlement and the Forestry Division’s commitment of a slew of changes is a good start.
“It will never end in my mind or my heart, but it is a start that we will get the change. After two years we feel we are confident with the truth,” Pfingston said. “We fully believe that the changes that the forester will do in incident command will save others’ lives.”