[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 25, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H5761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING THE YARNELL HILL FIRE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Rothfus). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 3, 2013, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 1-year 
anniversary of the tragic Yarnell Hill Fire, which claimed the lives of 
19 elite Granite Mountain Hotshot firefighters in late June of 2013.
  The Yarnell fire began when lightning struck approximately 30 miles 
southwest of Prescott, Arizona, off of Highway 89 on June 28, 2013. The 
blaze burned approximately 8,400 acres and damaged more than 1,000 
structures over a 15-day period.
  During the disaster, 19 firefighters from the Granite Mountain 
Interagency Hotshot Crew lost their lives battling the fire, the sixth 
deadliest American firefighter disaster overall and the deadliest 
wildfire ever in Arizona. Indeed, this dark day yielded the largest 
loss of firefighter life since September 11, 2001.
  To this day, words cannot express my sadness and the depth of my 
condolences to the families of these brave 19 first responders who gave 
their lives protecting our community. I will certainly remember this 
horrible tragedy for the rest of my life, as well as the public 
memorial service that was attended by more that 1,200 members of our 
community. These brave men made the ultimate sacrifice fighting to 
protect our citizens, and for that we will be eternally grateful.
  Even though a year has passed, please continue to keep the families 
of these Hotshot firefighters in your prayers. Furthermore, I ask that 
the Federal agencies responsible for actively managing our forests not 
forget this tragedy and take the steps to prevent similar catastrophic 
wildfires from reoccurring.
  The citizens of Yarnell, Arizona, and the surrounding communities 
know all too well the importance of proactive wildfire management. 
While the wildfire that claimed the lives of 19 brave souls was one of 
the worst tragedies in the history of Arizona, millions more across the 
country are also impacted by these disasters.
  Looking back over the past year, it is important to highlight what 
progress has been made in finding commonsense solutions to preventing 
wildfires while still acknowledging the reality that more must and can 
be done. We owe it to our local heroes who risk everything in order to 
protect our lives, our communities, and our homes.
  Congress still needs to consider additional legislation that will 
work to get the executive branch out of the way when action must be 
taken swiftly. This problem can be mitigated by empowering the private 
sector to create rural jobs and resurrecting the timber industry as 
loggers thin millions of acres of badly overgrown Arizona forests. 
Although we are never going to prevent all forest fires, these 
legislative efforts will help make fires less frequent, less intense 
when they do occur.
  I remain optimistic that, above all else, the heroic actions of the 
Granite Mountain Hotshots will continue to inspire our leaders to make 
the necessary changes to prevent future devastation and destruction. We 
owe nothing less to these heroes. More importantly, I will continue to 
do everything in my power to ensure that their legacies live on and 
yield substantial forest management changes.
  I would like to conclude my remarks by reading the names and ages of 
these 19 firefighters in tribute to their service:
  Andrew Ashcraft, age 29; Robert Caldwell, age 23; Travis Carter, age 
31; Dustin Deford, age 24; Christopher MacKenzie, age 30; Eric Marsh, 
age 43; Grant McKee, age 21; Sean Misner, age 26; Scott Norris, age 28; 
Wade Parker, age 22; John Percin, age 24; Anthony Rose, age 23; Jesse 
Steed, age 36; Joe Thurston, age 32; Travis Turbyfill, age 27; William 
Warneke, age 25; Clayton Whitted, age 28; Kevin Woyjeck, age 21; Garret 
Zuppiger, age 27.
  All these brave men were taken from us way too young leaving behind 
families and friends. Let us never forget their sacrifice.
  Mr. Speaker, with that, I yield back the balance of my time.

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